A Special Message from TPA President Greene!
September 14, 2018
As your 2018-2019 Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) President and Chair of the Board of Directors, it is my distinct honor to share a very exciting new milestone in our association’s history. After an intensive and exhaustive search to locate a permanent home, TPA, through the Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation (TPREF), has purchased a building that the Board believes you will be proud to call YOUR pharmacy home. The new space will allow TPA to provide you, as our association’s most valuable asset, with an ideal space for educational and community meetings, training events, and much more, and will serve as a permanent symbol of the importance of pharmacy and advocacy at the state level.
After careful consideration and much deliberation, the TPA Board of Directors voted in favor of pursuing the purchase of a permanent space for the TPA office three years ago. This decision was made with TPA’s strategic plan goals in mind and is viewed as a long-term investment in the future of the association and our members. The building will be owned by the Tennessee Pharmacists Research and Education Foundation, a wholly owned 501(c)3 subsidiary of TPA.
Why establish a home for TPA?
- Permanence and identity: As your state pharmacy association, TPA and its subsidiary organizations serve as the professional voice representing pharmacy practice in Tennessee. Establishing a pharmacy home through this purchase allows members to have a physical location to identify as the center for pharmacy practice in Tennessee. The building will be a welcoming space where TPA can bring our members together and foster a sense of professional identity and uniqueness that embodies the values most important to you and the pharmacy profession.
- Excellence and innovation: TPA and its subsidiary organizations strive to meet the professional needs of our members and ensure that pharmacists and pharmacy professionals are equipped with the tools and resources necessary to provide patients with optimal care and services. Just as our health care system is rapidly changing, TPA recognizes that the needs of our members continue to change. The recent growth and development in the downtown Nashville area are exciting, but these changes have created logistical challenges related to hosting members for education and training and have discouraged members from visiting the TPA office to meet with staff and TPA leadership. This new space provides our association with greater opportunities to host formal and informal meetings, education and training sessions, and community events to support and advance our core organizational mission.
- Fiduciary responsibility for resources: The TPA Board of Directors remains committed to utilizing the association’s limited resources and members’ contributions in a fiscally responsible and appropriate manner. By purchasing this property and moving the TPA office to a permanent home outside of the downtown Nashville area, TPA will reduce future financial liabilities related to the currently leased office space as well as associated costs for both staff and members. Purchasing the space will provide TPA and its subsidiary organizations with substantial long-term savings and allow our association to maintain its ongoing commitment to utilizing members’ contributions in the most appropriate and cost-effective manner possible.
- Understand the decision: This is an exciting new change for the association and our members! It is very important that you understand the reasons for the change and feel comfortable with this new move. If you have specific questions or concerns, feel free to email TPA, and our Board of Directors or staff will be happy to respond.
- Contribute to the future: The building requires significant renovations in order to best serve our members, and TPREF will be rolling out its “Building Your Future” capital campaign to raise funds for this purpose. You can play an active role in “Building Your Future” by making a contribution to the capital campaign. Numerous naming opportunities and contribution levels will make it possible for everyone to play a part (and any contributions are tax-deductible)! Please watch your email for more information.
- Visit the new office: Although the renovations will take some time, we’d love to host you at the new office and show you around, once the building is renovated and we’ve moved in! Keep in mind that moving over 130 years of history takes some time, so have a little patience with our staff as they transition out of their current space and into the new building.
Since 1884, TPA has proudly served the pharmacy community as the single pharmacy organization in Tennessee representing all pharmacy professionals in all pharmacy practice settings across the state. With your help and support, TPA will continue to serve our members and achieve its core mission: To advance, protect, and promote high quality, pharmacist-provided patient care in Tennessee!
Thanks for the opportunity to serve in this role! We are honored to have you as our member, and I appreciate everything you do for your patients, your profession, and your association!
Jason Greene, PharmD
2018-2019 TPA President