April 16th was a big day at Murray Drug pharmacy in Condon, OR. Storeowner and OSU College of Pharmacy alumna Ann Murray (’87) had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Senator Ron Wyden. Senator Wyden had called Ann and asked to meet as he came through Condon on a town hall trip. This was the Senator’s 700th visit to Condon, which is extra-interesting because Condon’s population is also 700.
The meeting began with Ann and one of the Senator’s representatives as he was running behind schedule. Ann began talking with the representative disappointed that she would not get to speak with the Senator directly. When he did arrive, Ann was both surprised and excited that he spoke with her personally for a full 20 minutes, uninterrupted.
Ann and the Senator discussed many pressing issues for pharmacists today, including provider status, student loan help and repayment options, and MAC (maximum allowable cost) and PBM (pharmacy benefit manager) issues. Even after the conclusion of the meeting, the Senator’s staff called Ann to further address the concerns they had discussed.
Ann encourages all Oregonians to contact Senator Wyden. Thank him and tell him about pharmacy issues. He is very knowledgeable about pharmacy and healthcare matters and is willing to listen.