--- title: "Hurricane Florence Sheds Light on Pharmacists’ Work and Role in Public Health" id: "44247" type: "post" slug: "hurricane-florence-sheds-light-on-pharmacists-work-and-role-in-public-health" published_at: "2018-10-01T18:15:56+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T22:53:03+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/10/01/hurricane-florence-sheds-light-on-pharmacists-work-and-role-in-public-health/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2018/10/01/hurricane-florence-sheds-light-on-pharmacists-work-and-role-in-public-health.md" excerpt: "What does a pharmacist do? During American Pharmacists Month, the American Pharmacists Association wants to highlight the industry’s dedication to your health." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "emergency preparedness" - "pharmacists" - "public health" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Hurricane Florence Sheds Light on Pharmacists’ Work and Role in Public Health October is [American Pharmacists Month (opens in a new tab)](https://pharmacistsmonth.com/) , and in light of this summer’s intense weather events, the [American Pharmacists Association (opens in a new tab)](https://pharmacist.com/) (APhA) is using the month to highlight pharmacists’ role and contribution to public health. Pharmacists took many measures before and after Hurricane Florence to ensure that people in affected areas were safe physically and in good health, in some cases dispensing emergency prescription refills and staffing temporary mobile pharmacies. “The anguish is unimaginable, and APhA sends its sympathy and support to them,” said Thomas E. Menighan, APhA executive vice president and CEO, [in a blog post (opens in a new tab)](https://www.pharmacist.com/CEOBlog/our-thoughts-those-affected-florence-our-thanks-pharmacists-serving-them) . “Pharmacists play an important role in both emergency preparedness and coming to aid those in the midst of these difficult times.” But Hurricane Florence wasn’t the only natural disaster that required extra medical attention. This summer saw some of the worst wildfires in California history, the Mount Kilauea eruption in Hawaii, and other tropical storms—all requiring the same around-the-clock care. According to the [American Pharmacists Month website (opens in a new tab)](https://pharmacistsmonth.com/pharmacists-can-help/) , 89 percent of Americans live within five miles of a community pharmacy, although many people don’t understand what they do outside of filling prescriptions. The theme of this year’s APhA campaign, “Easy to Reach and Ready to Help,” aims to educate the public on just that, [according to a press release (opens in a new tab)](https://www.pharmacist.com/press-release/october-american-pharmacists-month-2018) . During the summer, for example, pharmacists around the country were tasked with health-planning initiatives and emergency-preparedness protocols for storms and other events, as well as distributing medications, setting up mobile pharmacies, and providing care to affected areas. Along with awareness initiatives this month, APhA will host various activities, including a briefing on Capitol Hill on October 17, where several pharmacists will speak to Congress on how the pharmacy industry can help with the opioid crisis. (PeopleImages/Getty Images) [Jeff Hsin](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jeff-hsin/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#emergency preparedness](https://associationsnow.com/tag/emergency-preparedness/) [#pharmacists](https://associationsnow.com/tag/pharmacists/) [#public health](https://associationsnow.com/tag/public-health/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2018%2F10%2F01%2Fhurricane-florence-sheds-light-on-pharmacists-work-and-role-in-public-health%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !