After careful consideration for the safety of our training class participants, instructors, and staff, the American College of Apothecaries resumed in-person training classes on June 4. ACA followed local public health guidelines to develop the following protocols.

Our top priority is providing the best training opportunities for pharmacy professionals in the safest environment for employees, instructors, participants, and the community.

Our safety protocols include:

  • Daily health screening upon entrance to facility for all class participants and staff
  • Limiting visitors to facility and lowering class size
  • Allowing staff to telework and informing staff not to come to work if sick
  • Enforcing six-foot distancing for all individuals throughout facility
  • Dedicated workspaces for class participants during compounding training courses, including classroom and lab areas
  • Providing masks to every individual
  • Providing hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to all visitors, class participants and staff at facility entrance, in bathrooms, breakroom, training room, and labs
  • Offices, bathrooms, breakroom, and lab are cleaned and disinfected daily
  • Additional measures will be taken throughout the facility to prevent unnecessary contact between individuals

We are also working to provide additional online training materials and accredited CE for pharmaceutical compounding and other topics on the ACA | ACVP | PPHI Online Education CEnter Portal.

Calendar of Educational Resources

ORIGINALLY AIRED : Wednesday, April 8, 2020

VIEW RECORDED PRESENTATION

In an unprecedented public-private partnership, PPP Loans will be funded through SBA-Approved lenders. The U.S. Treasury has released guidance on the PPP loan program, but some business owners may be wondering how staffing decisions can impact loan forgiveness.  Hear from Frier Levitt’s, Co-Founding Partner, Daniel B Frier, Esq. who provides the most current information on:

  • Understanding the concept of how the loan is forgiven under the CARES Act
  • How staffing changes may impact loan forgiveness
  • How compensation changes may impact loan forgiveness

Evidence on potential transmission and treatment of COVID-19 is evolving rapidly.

Join the American Public Health Association and the National Academy of Medicine for a free webinar to hear from experts on emerging data.

FREE Webinar #3: Emerging Evidence on COVID-19 Spread and Treatment

Thursday, April 9, 12:30-2 p.m. ET

REGISTER NOW

Hydroxychloroquine & Its Potential Role in COVID-19 Treatment: A Review for Pharmacists
Thursday, April 9, 2020
1:00 ET

This webinar will educate pharmacists on information about hydroxychloroquine (including ADRs, DIs), as well as provide a brief review of information from trials so that pharmacists feel more confident in understanding and answering questions about its current place in therapy.

This program is approved for 1.5 contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of continuing education credit for pharmacists and technicians.

REGISTER NOW

Effective March 25, 2020, our office building will be closed; all staff will be working from home during our regular business hours, Monday – Thursday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm and 8:00 am-noon on Friday. We will not be answering the phones, but will be responding to emails using the contact form.

COVID-19 Resources

Pharmacy Profession asked to help recruit volunteers to participate in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials

The COVID-19 Prevention Network (CoVPN) is seeking the assistance of pharmacists and pharmacy personnel to inform the public of the opportunity to participate in the clinical trials for vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against SARS-CoV-2. Learn more…

VaccineFinder and MedFinder Updates for Pharmacies

VaccineFinder and MedFinder now offer flexible methods for pharmacies to update their vaccine and antiviral drug supply through both automated and manual reporting options. Learn more…

US Department of Health & Human Services

As the most accessible and frequently visited members of the healthcare team, pharmacists will play a vital role in America’s COVID-19 publc health response with the ability to order and administer testing for their patients.

The ACA supports the work done by pharmacy organizations to remove the barriers to Pharmacists so that we can provide our communities with needed COVID-19 tests and referrals when necessary.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC recently released additional guidance documents of interest to pharmacists. Note as circumstances change this information will be updated by CDC:

  • CDC Pharmacy Partnership Programs for COVID-19 Vaccination chart explains the currently available program(s) for pharmacy engagement and how the federal and state processes work together. The CDC is providing jurisdictions an opportunity to transfer vaccine allocation to federal pharmacy partners to help vaccinate target populations against COVID-19 before the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program launches nationwide. This graphic captures some of the key elements to help pharmacists understand the differences and operations of the programs.
  • Guidance to Pharmacies and Pharmacy Staff – to minimize their risk of exposure to the virus and reduce the risk for customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The direct link to the website is: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/healthcare-resources/pharmacies.html

Note: recommendation to postpone immunizations with certain exceptions, taking into account benefit vs risk.

2020 CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA)

COCA prepares clinicians to respond to emerging health threats and public health emergencies by communicating relevant, timely information related to disease outbreaks, disasters, terrorism events, and other health alerts.

Calls/Webinars Information, Summaries, & Slide Sets

Click on the titles below for more information.

Title: Underlying Medical Conditions and People at Higher Risk for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Date: Friday, March 27, 2020

Title: COVID-19 Update: Optimization Strategies for Healthcare Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2020

From USP Healthcare Quality & Safety Team

UPDATED: December 15, 2020
USP continues to provide resources in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is the link to the updated document as of December 15, 2020 which includes added considerations for preparing conventionally manufactured COVID-19 vaccines which have received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA.

Any technical questions on these and other compounding resources should be sent to CompoundingSL@usp.org.

In light of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for garbing and personal protective equipment (PPE) and alcohol-based hand sanitizer is expected to outpace available supply. During this pandemic, USP supports State Boards and other regulators using risk-based enforcement discretion related to the implementation of USP compounding standards and the compounding of alcohol-based hand sanitizers for consumer use.

The USP Compounding Expert Committee developed the following informational resources that may be of assistance during this public health emergency:

From the FDA: Policy for Temporary Compounding of Certain Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer Products During the Public Health Emergency

UPDATED: March 14, 2020

Due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) has received a number of queries concerning compounding of alcohol-based hand sanitizers.   Read or download the guidance here: https://www.fda.gov/media/136118/download

Joint ACA | ACVP | PPSI Statement on COVID-19

UPDATED: March 12, 2020

We understand and support the difficult decision made yesterday by the American Pharmacists Association to cancel their upcoming Annual Meeting and Expo. This cancellation includes all related conference activites, including the PPSI Public Health Town Hall Breakfast scheduled for Sunday, March 22. We are currently evaluating our options for rescheduling this event at a later date. 

Registration for the ACVP Veterinary Pharmacy Conference, June 25-27, in Raleigh, North Carolina is still open. We are monitoring the situation and exploring other options. We anticipate making a decision regarding the feasibility of hosting a live conference by mid-April.

March 10, 2020

At the American College of Apothecaries, American College of Veterinary Pharmacists, and Pharmacists Planning Services, Inc., public health and safety is our top priority.

While we are operating as usual, we are also working on contingency plans to be prepared for changing circumstances. We are actively following the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local state departments of health as well as local public health authorities so we can respond quickly to any shifts in their recommendations.

What are ACA , ACVP, and PPSI doing in response to COVID-19?
Our organizations are monitoring the situation closely.

As of today, our plan is to still hold our upcoming events as scheduled, including compounding training courses at the National Training Laboratory in Bartlett, Tennessee and the ACVP Veterinary Pharmacy Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Due to the evolving nature of this situation, cancellations may have to be made with short notice, for instance in the case of a public health directive. We will do our best to contact all those affected as quickly as possible.

What steps can pharmacists take to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
Recommend to your patients and staff to follow all of the steps recommended by the CDC. The same simple steps that prevent the spread of ordinary flu viruses work against COVID-19 and other illnesses:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
  • Cough into a tissue or your elbow (not your hand). Then throw the tissue away and wash hands.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick, with a temperature above 100.0 F (38.7 C) or do not feel well, appear weak or ill.
  • Consult your health care provider if you have special health conditions that put you at increased risk.

Be a Source of Comfort and Calm for the Public
The CDC has developed a helpful resource for Healthcare Professionals that covers clinical features, infection control, and guidances for evaluating and reporting persons under investigation (PUI).

Additional information and resources about the Covid-19: