Some readers have noticed, from the “About Us” section of our website, that we are members of several organizations.
This month’s blog is about one of those organizations, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), and our involvement in it.
As the NCPA’s website says, it was founded in 1898 and is “the voice for the community pharmacist, representing over 18,900 pharmacies that employ nearly 230,000 individuals nationwide. [Member pharmacies] are rooted in the communities where they are located and are America’s most accessible health care providers.”
The NCPA exists to improve community-based healthcare by advancing the sustainability, growth, and public understanding of independent community pharmacists, the most accessible healthcare providers.
The organization provides many services to its members, including:
- Providing scholarships and grants to pharmacy student members.
- Stimulating interest in, providing mentorship for, and conducting research in pharmacy ownership.
- Providing training and education for pharmacists to enhance their practice and better serve their patients.
- Providing information and support for innovative practices such as:
- Participating in local community healthcare networks such as Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN).
- Ideas for improving documentation, programs that optimize medications, providing diagnostic and other services with a clinical focus.
- Disaster relief and response.
- Advocacy. Pharmacy touches many federal and state programs. NCPA helps to educate legislators and advance policies that bring transparency, accountability, and fairness to community pharmacies.
The NCPA is an invaluable resource for pharmacists in their roles of providing top-notch community services and as business owners. Both are important; after all, community pharmacies must survive commercially to be able to serve patients.
The NCPA held their annual convention in Kansas City, MO earlier this month and we’d like to bring three highlights from it to your attention:
Highlight 1
Taylor Deen, PharmD, gave a presentation to peers entitled, “How to bring brain health to pharmacy practice”. Her presentation was about recognizing changing cognition of patients in the community pharmacy setting, modifiable risk factors for the development of dementia, actionable ways patients can keep their brains healthy, and how to integrate brain health screening into pharmacy practice. The presentation ended with ways to support patients and caregivers after a dementia diagnosis.
As you may know or have experienced, preventative health is a cornerstone of our practice at The Pharmacy at Wellington and we believe in a proactive approach to health. Taylor provides counseling to patients on evidence-based ways to maintain brain health, in addition to managing existing health conditions and medications.
To note, Cognivue, the brain assessment that we provide, is only one piece of our approach to brain health, but it is a quick, convenient way to assess cognitive function and establish a baseline. If you or a loved one is curious about this topic, feel free to call (501-708-4320) and ask for Taylor Deen.
Highlight 2
Brittany Sanders, PharmD, serves on NCPA’s Developing Opportunities Committee. The Committee helps to identify and create opportunities for community pharmacists to expand their practice and bring additional services to patients, services not traditionally provided in pharmacies. Examples include brain health, rapid testing and prescribing, and diabetes education.
Brittany also gave a short presentation, in the context of the Committee’s “Take 5” series, about the use of clinic rooms in a community pharmacy.
This involvement is actually just one of many hats that Brittany wears and that often take her away from being at The Pharmacy. If she’s not onsite, please feel free to consult with any of our pharmacists on duty as they are well qualified and more than happy to help. It is better to have questions answered sooner rather than later as we know that the earlier a health issue is dealt with, the better.
If you are interested in consulting with us about your Medicare enrollment options, Brittany is not our only licensed agent — Nick is too! Check out our Wellington Benefits web page:
https://wellington-benefits.com
Highlight 3
Last but not least, Megan Smith, PharmD, was presented with an award! She is named the NCPA 2026 Outstanding Faculty Liaison of the Year.
Megan is associate professor and director of the PGY1 Community-Based Residency Program at UAMS and she works part-time at The Pharmacy at Wellington.
The award recognizes a faculty liaison who demonstrates exceptional leadership and commitment to independent pharmacy, their NCPA Student Chapter, and the community. The selection was made through a blind selection process to guarantee fairness and impartiality.
If you have met Megan, you’ll understand her enthusiasm for developing and testing workable, scalable models for advanced clinical services in independent pharmacy settings. Her work with us at The Pharmacy at Wellington keeps her research and teaching grounded in day-to-day patient care.
Megan’s research and scholarship — much of it in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Northern Carolina and across the CPESN network — has focused on topics including point-of-care testing implementation, medication therapy management models, eCare plan documentation, and the development of community pharmacy research fellowships. She also serves on the Task Force of the Academia-Community Pharmacy Practice Transformation Collaborative, working to align pharmacy education with the evolving needs of community practice nationwide.
Conclusion:
We are proud to be an active member of the NCPA. Its work helps to make community health a high priority for legislators, leaders, and decision-makers. The NCPA positively impacts communities across the nation, including ours.
Resources and references:
- https://ncpa.org/
- https://www.ncpafoundation.org/
- https://ncpa.org/newsroom/news-releases/2026/10/04/ncpa-foundation-recognizes-megan-smith-outstanding-faculty