WOMEN IMPACTING 340B

The 340B Program would not be nearly as impactful without the perseverance and dedication of its supporters. In honor if Women’s History Month, 340Basics had the honor of participating in a webinar dedicated to the history of women in the 340B community as well as the community of women currently making an impact on the program. 340Basics’ President and Founder, Colleen DiClaudio, along with Peggy Tighe, Colleen Meiman, and Lorrie Carr shared their personal involvement stories and passion towards the 340B Program. WATCH WEBINAR HERE

Colleen DiClaudio has always had a passion for the healthcare industry, stating that “healthcare should not be considered a luxury, it is a basic human right.” Beginning her journey in public health policy and working in health centers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for over a decade led to her discovery of the importance and impact that the 340B Program has in healthcare.

Colleen, along with Lorri Carr and Leah Bailey, are Board Members for Community Voices for 340B, a nonprofit organization created by Peggy Tighe that seeks to raise awareness of the important role that the 340B program plays in protecting and improving health care access and quality of care for communities nationwide (Community Voices for 340B).Community Voices for 340B strives to uphold the hard work that was put in during the early stages of the 340B program. In the early days of the program, Mary Lou Anderson acted as a trailblazer for women in pharmacy. Mary was the first female speaker at the House of Delegates for the American Pharmacist Association.

Former Staffer to Senator Kennedy, Marsha Simon is another notable woman who left her mark on the program. Marsha was an instrumental part of getting the bill passed, and prior to this happening, there were hardly any pharmacies that were able to afford pharmaceuticals. Thanks to Marsha, we now have pharmaceuticals in over 99% of Community Health Centers around the country.

Another women who had a notable impact on the bill that passed was Frida Mitchem. Policy and Programs also fell into the hands of Frida, who held the roll of Vice President for Policy and Programs National Association of CHC’s for two decades.

Kathy McGee was extremely instrumental in setting up the program, and was a tremendous help during the early stages. Kathy was the Former Deputy of the Office of Pharmacy Affairs division of HRSA.

No discussion of the 340B Program would be complete without mention of Rear Admiral Krista Pedley. She has held the very important, yet challenging job of leading the program from the HRSA perspective, holding title as Head of Pharmacy Affairs at HRSA.

The 340B Program, as it was intended, is largely under attack from many angles. There is a lot of advocacy needed in order to hold the program true to its intent. Ellen Riker, Barbara Straub Williams, Amy Yenyo and Issie Karan are among a group of women who are actively involved in the battle to maintain the program as we know it.

While the job titles and backgrounds vary among these women, they all share the same passion for promoting and protecting a program that delivers resources to not only the Health Centers, but their patients as well. Advocacy for the 340B program is at the core of everything that Community Voices for 340B and these women do. They carry the passion and tenacity to fight for a program whose mission is helping the underprivileged.

Overall, the women impacting the 340B program all believe in education, communication, and collaboration. A recording of this webinar will be available shortly to learn more about the collective group of women who believe in and are making an impact on the 340B Program.