{"id":2589,"date":"2026-03-23T10:55:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:55:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/pharmacy\/2026\/03\/23\/students-engage-in-national-pharmacy-policy-at-rximpact\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T10:55:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T17:55:38","slug":"students-engage-in-national-pharmacy-policy-at-rximpact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/pharmacy\/2026\/03\/23\/students-engage-in-national-pharmacy-policy-at-rximpact\/","title":{"rendered":"Students Engage in National Pharmacy Policy at RXImpact"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hosted by the National Association for Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), RxImpact 2026 invited CEOs, VPs of pharmacy, practicing pharmacists, and students to participate in congressional hearings to shape the future of the field. CUSP Pharm.D. student Ranae Whitaker<\/a> attended this year\u2019s RXImpact, where her academic experience and voice made an impact on the future of the field.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>RXImpact \u201cU\u201d Academy, an educational opportunity for students, offered a half-day training session which was then put into practice through Ranae\u2019s attendance at Capitol Hill hearings. About the experience, she says, \u201cThe most valuable thing that I learned about influencing policy is the importance of patience and resilience. Bills go through years and years of revisions, and hearing the legacy of these bills makes you realize that we are all responsible for playing our part in making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pharmacy\u2019s impact on healthcare was underscored by Congressional staffers\u2019 preexisting knowledge of the subject. \u201cI understood that they were familiar with our issues, but I was impressed by the depth of knowledge and how it led to excellent conversations.\u201d One bill discussed in both RxImpact Academy and the Congressional hearings was H.R. 3164, which would give pharmacists medical provider status under Medicare and Medicaid. This would improve coverage and access to care for many communities and individuals who rely on these programs. \u201cBeing a pharmacist and connecting it to policy gives you the best of both worlds by working on an individual and collective level to help people. Access to care is definitely the issue I\u2019m most passionate about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ranae\u2019s passion for access to care is rooted in her own experience working in community and specialty pharmacy settings. She witnessed firsthand how pharmacy closures and insurance barriers can disrupt patients\u2019 lives, especially when large patient populations are suddenly absorbed by already overburdened pharmacies. These experiences deepened her belief that policy change is essential to ensuring patients receive timely, affordable care.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>While in D.C., Ranae spoke with policymakers and listened in on deliberations for pharmacy-related legislation. \u201cThe staffers recognized that we were accurate sources on what our training was like and what we are capable of doing. In this program, we\u2019re held to such a high standard that when we are out in the real world, we should have faith in ourselves and know we\u2019re capable of a lot of great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interested in helping others through a career in pharmacy? Click here to learn more about a degree from CUSP.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

This article was written by Silas Fernandes<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ranae Whitaker Shares Her Experience Advocating in D.C.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4726,"featured_media":2590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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