Largest International Meeting of Pharmacists

Newswise — Largest International Meeting of Pharmacists to Discuss Policy Implications of Flu Vaccine Shortage and Medication Safety

WHAT: The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) 39th Midyear Clinical Meeting draws 20,000 health care industry experts to discuss the latest developments in pharmacy practice and patient care, advances in medication therapy, and advanced technologies. Current events in health care, including the public health implications of the recent flu vaccine shortage are featured in the meeting's more than 70 educational sessions.

When: Dec. 5-9, 2004

Where: The Orange County Convention Center, Orlando

Who: Featured sessions and speakers include:

- The 2004-2005 Flu Vaccine Shortage: Lessons Learned for the Nation, (Monday, Dec. 6, 2004, noon-1:00 p.m., Room 207)

This session will discuss the 2004-2005 influenza virus vaccine shortage, including the events leading up to the shortage, and precipitating factors. Policy recommendations by the federal government and Institute of Medicine on vaccine financing; approaches to stimulating vaccine R&D; expanding access to vaccines; and maintaining the integrity of the vaccine supply chain will also be discussed. - William N. Kelly, Pharm.D., Professor, Department of Clinical & Administrative Science, Mercer University - Kasey K. Thompson, Pharm.D., Director, Patient Safety, Practice Standards and Quality Division, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Additional sessions include: - Meeting the Challenges in the Prevention and Treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE) (Monday, December 6, 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.).

- Preparing for the Unthinkable"¦Clinical Terrorism (Tuesday, December 7, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.)

- Current Issues in Caring for the Geriatric Patient (Tuesday, December 7, 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.)

- Therapeutic Issues in Women's Health: Later in Life (Thursday, December 9, 8:00 a.m. " 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. " 5:00 p.m.)

- Practical Approaches to Manage and Prevent Multidrug-Resistant Infections (Thursday December 9, 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.)

For more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 30,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, http://www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, http://www.SafeMedication.com.