ARLINGTON, Va. — Last week, Darren Herring, district director for House Armed Services Committee member U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly (R, Miss.), visited a Kroger in Tupelo, Miss., where he got a firsthand understanding of the vital role pharmacies continue to play in meeting the total health and wellness needs of Rep. Kelly’s constituents.

Darren Herring (left), district director for U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS), participated in a Kroger pharmacy tour in Tupelo, Miss, where he met with Kroger pharmacy team member Greg Wood (right). To engage your company in the NACDS RxIMPACT Pharmacy Tour Program, please contact Heidi Ecker at [email protected]. | Photo Credit: Kroger

The Kroger pharmacy team emphasized Mississippi pharmacies’ accessibility, particularly for those patients from rural communities surrounding Tupelo, noting especially how pharmacies are uniquely positioned to help ensure patients maintain ready access to COVID-19-related care services and day-to-day needs — such as COVID-19 vaccinations and testing, routine vaccinations, treatment for strep and flu, point-of-care testing and screening for conditions including hepatitis C, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

They talked about ways in which lawmakers can work to ensure Americans continue to benefit from these pharmacy-based services during public health emergencies and every day — including the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act (HR 7213), bipartisan legislation that would help improve patient access to consistent, timely and equitable pharmacist healthcare services.

Also discussed during the pharmacy tour was the TRICARE Pilot Program and direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fee reform. Kroger pharmacy team members expressed appreciation for Rep. Kelly’s advancement of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act and its mandatory pilot program, which will test savings and beneficiary satisfaction of restoring full access to local pharmacies. They also lauded Rep. Kelly’s leadership on the ongoing issue of DIR fee reform – and his recognition that more work must be done to help reduce seniors’ out-of-pocket drug costs and preserve pharmacies’ viability.