APhA Policy Manual

1. APhA supports enactment and enforcement of laws, regulations and policies intended to prevent Organized Retail Crime (ORC) from occurring in our communities.
2. APhA calls on all relevant authorities to enforce laws, regulations, and policies to hold online marketplaces accountable for verifying third-party sellers on their platforms.

1. APhA strongly believes that all pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians should be safe in their work and learning environments and be free from firearm-related violence.
2. APhA strongly recommends that technician training programs, schools and colleges of pharmacy, postgraduate training programs, and employers should develop programs to increase readiness in the event of an active shooter.
3. APhA strongly believes pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians should be trained to recognize and refer patients at high risk of violence to themselves or others.
4. APhA encourages pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians who are survivors of firearm-related violence to seek the help of counselors and other trained mental health professionals.

1. APhA calls for employers to develop policies and procedures to support pharmacy personnel’s ability to retreat or withdraw, without retaliation, from interactions that threaten their safety and well-being.
2. APhA encourages the development or utilization of educational programs and resources by the Association, employers, and other institutions to prepare pharmacy personnel to respond to situations that threaten their safety and well-being.

The committee recommends that APhA support laws, regulations, and policies to require that a prescription department must be secured whenever the pharmacist or persons authorized by the pharmacist are not present.

1. APhA supports protecting pharmacist, student pharmacist, and pharmacy technician personal information (e.g. home address, telephone, and personal email address).
2. APhA opposes legal, regulatory, and policy requirements that mandate the publication of pharmacist, student pharmacist and pharmacy technician personal information (e.g., home address, telephone, and personal email address).
3. APhA encourages state boards of pharmacy to remove from their websites personal addresses, phone numbers, email, and other non-business contact information of pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians.

1. APhA advocates that all organizations and healthcare providers adopt best practices in data security to ensure ongoing protection of patient data from loss, alteration, and all forms of cybercrime.
2. APhA recommends that organizations understand the flow of information, both internally and externally, to apply and maintain reasonable and appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the privacy and identity of their patients.
3. APhA calls on organizations to provide ongoing employee education and training regarding patient data protection, best practices, and cybersecurity standards.

1. APhA encourages federal government agencies to provide mechanisms for supporting experimental, drug dependence, treatment programs based on principles of maintenance and/or detoxification.
2. APhA encourages pharmaceutical associations to work with state legislators in an effort to provide mandatory imprisonment for the theft of controlled substances and the restriction of bail for such crimes.