Updates from Alaska

Governor Mike Dunleavy signs House Bill 145, expanding Pharmacist Authority in Alaska. The bill grants Alaskan pharmacists and pharmacy technicians the ability to practice to the top of their education, and elevating healthcare access for all Alaskans. Pharmacists are the drug experts in the health care field, and long been one of the most trusted professions in the country. But while highly trained doctors of pharmacy, their ability to practice to the top of their training is limited throughout most of the country due to outdated legislation or oversight. HB 145 adds updates to Alaska’s pharmacy legislation, expanding the state’s pharmacy guidelines to allow for prescriptive authority appropriate for their expertise, routine chronic disease management, and ultimately increases access for patients to a specialized but, up until now, underutilized healthcare provider. This is especially exciting in Alaska’s rural and underserved communities where even routine medical care can be challenging to access.

Brandy Seignemartin was hired as part of a coposition with the Alaska Pharmacists Association (AKPhA), a non-profit professional organization representing all pharmacists in Alaska. Brandy Seignemartin is a faculty member for the UAA/ ISU Doctor of Pharmacy program, along with the Executive Director for AKPhA. This newly created joint position supports both UAA/ISU’s and AKPhA’s advocacy and education initiatives, working diligently to increase awareness, recognition, and support relevant health care system change by Alaska’s legislators, lobbyists, and policy makers. Seignemartin holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Washington State University. She has practical and leadership experience in healthcare policy and independent retail pharmacy experience. Seignemartin comes from the Washington State

Mara Seignemartin was hired as the program coordinator for the UAA/ISU Doctor of Pharmacy program. Seignemartin brings a strong background in administration, community networking, and student advising. She has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and has worked many years in the family business of home health and infusion pharmacy in Washington.

Pharmacy Association (WSPA) where she was the Executive Fellow and the Director of Policy in Practice. At WSPA she engaged membership and built relationships pivotal to policy change and advancing the practice of pharmacy in the state of Washington. In her work with the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA), Seignemartin created key policy resources for the state pharmacy associations used by AKPhA in a number of legislative initiatives.

Students in the UAA/ISU Doctor of Pharmacy Program were awarded the Best in Research Award’ for their poster at the WWAMI research day in November. Their project was titled “Retooling the Alaska Assisted Living Home (ALH) Immunization Program: Refocusing Efforts on Homes with the Highest Need”