Newsletter and Media Activities

In August 1983, the ABHP published its first Newsletter. The newsletter was published quarterly and mailed to all "members" on the ABHP rosters. The Publicist was Mrs. Georgia S. Thomas, R.Ph. The ABHP Newsletter provided information about the organization's activities to those pharmacists and students who expressed an interest in the ABHP but who were unable to attend the ASHP-MCM. It also served as a means of announcing the availability of practice positions, and recognition for corporate sponsors who supported the ABHP's activities.
          ASHP membership, recruitment, and active participation by black hospital pharmacists were some of the many topics of discussion between ASHP and ABHP. Four collaborative action items were published in the August 1983 ABHP Newsletter addressing the communication with ASHP and the importance of increasing active participation by black hospital pharmacists in local, state, and national hospital pharmacy organizations. One of the collaborative actions reported by ABHP was to assist ASHP in identifying and presenting qualified black hospital pharmacist candidates for ASHP offices. This would become an annual process of delivering names and information of qualified black pharmacists to ASHP. Secondly, the group used the newsletter to call upon its members to identify, recruit, support, and nurture young black pharmacy students and guide them toward hospital pharmacy practice so that there would be a continuous pool of candidates for active participation in health system pharmacy practice. Thirdly, the group encouraged its members to pursue and publish pharmaceutical research that address issues around minority healthcare and elevate the vision of black pharmacists. And finally, the group called upon black hospital pharmacists to pursue more positions that allow greater input into the decision of making in hospital pharmacy practice, such as Directors and Assistant Directors of Pharmacy.
              The ABHP Newsletter was viewed as the foremost means of communication with its members and all other professional health care organizations. To facilitate communication and to keep members and others informed about ABHP, the newsletter was sent to the ASHP, NPhA, SNPhA, APhA, National Pharmaceutical Foundation (NPF), the National Alumni Associations of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Pharmacy Colleges, and any person or health care organization interested in the activities and programs of the organization.
          In August 1985, the ABHP Newsletter won the International Association of Business Communicators' (IABC) "Bronze Quill Award" of merit in the Newsletters for non-profit organizations category. The late Mr. Derek F. Thomas of Indianapolis, Indiana was the editor. The ASHP also started to highlight the activities of ABHP for the first time in their newsletter. In the February 1997 issue of the ASHP Newsletter, ASHP published an article during Black History Month entitled “African American Pharmacists Making a Difference.” The article highlighted efforts of African American pharmacists in education the African American communities on the management of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and empowering them to take charge of issues regarding their health. HBCUs that were included in the article was Texas Southern University and Florida A&M University Colleges of Pharmacy. The ABHP’s interdisciplinary continuing educations efforts on diabetes at the regional level was also highlighted.