CHARITY PHARMACY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Treasurer
- Area Director of Pharmacy Continuity
Amy Kurzatkowski is the Area Director of Pharmacy Continuity of Care for Ascension Health, managing 10 community pharmacies from the Northeast to Tennessee. These Community pharmacies are "mix" pharmacies having a charitable component within each one. Since graduating from the University of Connecticut, Amy has been involved with community pharmacy for her entire career. Previously to her current position, Amy opened and managed an Outpatient Pharmacy at St. Vincent's in Bridgeport, CT and supervised the Hope Dispensary of Great Bridgeport, a charitable pharmacy. Amy is one of the founding board members of Charitable Pharmacies of America and currently serves as the Treasurer. Amy enjoys teaching and was a preceptor while at CVS & St. Vincent's for both IPPE/APPE students, as well as residents. She created the first existent PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency in Connecticut with Ascension while at St. Vincent's serving as the Residency Program Director. Today, Amy continues to be a virtual preceptor for residents.
Job Titles:
- Vice Chair
- Vice - Chair of Charitable Pharmacies of America
Until late 2018, Brad was Vice President, Vanderbilt Health Rx Solutions and the Executive Director, Retail and Specialty Pharmacy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, providing overall leadership for the Department of Pharmacy outpatient pharmacy services. The Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy model is a nationally recognized health system leader, providing comprehensive care and management of patients requiring specialty medications.
Previously, Brad was the CEO of Lovelace Retail and Specialty Pharmacy, a division of Ardent Health Services in Nashville. He was named CEO of the Year at Ardent Health Services for innovating pharmacist-enhanced programs in medication reconciliation, pharmacist home visits, and Medication Therapy Management programs resulting in better patient outcomes.
Brad's career as a Healthcare Operations executive in the retail pharmacy industry included leadership and management responsibilities for a multi-state, multi-billion dollar pharmacy organization with Albertsons/Sav-on Pharmacy/Osco Drug.
Brad currently serves as Vice-Chair of Charitable Pharmacies of America and also is a member of the Dispensary of Hope Pharmacy Advisory Board. Past community involvement includes serving as a board member for the New Mexico Poison Control and Drug Information Center. He is also a past member of School of Pharmacy Advisory Boards at the University of Southern California, North Dakota State University, University of New Mexico, Western University of Health Sciences and the University of California, San Francisco.
Brad received his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from North Dakota State University and a Masters in Business Administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management. He is currently a registered pharmacist in the state of Tennessee.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Beacon Charitable Pharmacy in Canton Ohio
Carol Risaliti is the Executive Director of Beacon Charitable Pharmacy in Canton Ohio. Carol has served on the Ohio Governor's Task Force on Disability Medical Assistance, United Way Compass Health Committee, United Way Agency Review Team Chair, United Way Allocation Committee, Access Health Stark County Operating Council, Catholic Charities USA Health Steering Committee, currently serves on the American Heart Association Board for Stark and Wayne Counties; and has been the executive director of the Beacon Charitable Pharmacy for 15 years. In 2012 Carol received the Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Pharmacy Dean's Leadership Award.
Prior to serving as the first executive director of Beacon, Carol was a clinical counselor and administrator in health, counseling and social services for twenty years.
Christine Toni, BSPharm, is the former pharmacist coordinator of HOPE Dispensary of Greater Bridgeport, a project initiated by the Primary Care Action Group (PCAG), a multi-disciplinary group of providers dealing with availability and education of healthcare within the Bridgeport area. Under Christine's direction, HOPE provided free medication to low-income, uninsured patients as well as a medication therapy management approach to those patients most at risk. She was an integral team member for transitions of care and patient monitoring/referrals for two hospitals and five community clinics. Christine currently acts as consultant with Charitable Pharmacies of America, aiding communities to start charitable pharmacies.
Christopher F. Palombo, MA, MSHM, FACHE is the Chief Executive Officer for the Dispensary of Hope. With a strong belief that community-wide collaboration is vital for achieving the outcome of improved population health, Chris's career has been invested into integrating safety net healthcare resources for the sake of uninsured Americans. Before serving at the Dispensary of Hope, Chris worked as an independent healthcare consultant and as an internal program development consultant with Ascension Health, the nation's largest non-profit and largest Catholic health system. Chris is also the former Executive Director of the Medical Care Access Coalition in Marquette, Michigan, a regional health planning and delivery coalition featured by the Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Primary Health Care as a replicable example of rural safety net healthcare integration. Chris is a licensed minister with the General Council of the Assemblies of God, with a life calling to serve the healthcare needs of low income, uninsured populations. Chris is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives. He earned his Master of Healthcare Management from Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO) and a Master of Arts from Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). In October 2009, Chris was presented with an Emerging Leader in Healthcare Transformation Award from Communities Joined in Action.
Job Titles:
- Director of Pharmaceutical Services at Dispensary
Dr. Hillary Blackburn, PharmD is the Director of Pharmaceutical Services at Dispensary of Hope. In this role, she is responsible for providing clinical pharmacist expertise to support the organization as well as its network of pharmacies and charitable clinics. As the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Hillary consults with pharmacy leaders across the country, sharing expertise on affordable medication access for low-income patients. Her work with health systems includes strategy development for identifying and implementing programs to address gaps in pharmaceutical care including the Dispensary of Hope program. In addition, Hillary collaborates in the development and use of the formulary and tools for successful program utilization by the pharmacies and charitable clinics in the Dispensary of Hope network. Hillary is a graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
During pharmacy school, she interned at Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA) Office of Pharmacy Affairs where Hillary gained knowledge about the 340B Drug Program and developed content for HRSA's Patient Safety and Clinical Pharmacy Services Collaborative. Hillary is a clinically trained pharmacist with client relationship, formulary management, specialty mail-order pharmacy, retail, and health plan experience. She is licensed in 11 states and serves as a preceptor for Belmont and Lipscomb Schools of Pharmacy.
George Wang is a SIRUM co-founder and uses his analytical and problem-solving skills honed in science to tackle the complex operations and policy issues of redistributing unused medicine. SIRUM is a 501(c)3 social venture that uses technology to connect surplus drugs with the needs of safety-net pharmacies. SIRUM is committed to developing medicine redistribution programs nationwide, taking advantage of the $4-5 billion of unused, unexpired medicine that would otherwise go to waste. SIRUM's peer-to-peer platform connects donor and recipient organizations and coordinates donation logistics including itemized drug manifests, tracking and shipping. George graduated with a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Biology and Phi Beta Kappa from The Ohio State University.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- CEO of SafeNetRx
Jon-Michael Rosmann is the CEO of SafeNetRx, a 501c3 focused on developing practical solutions that provide low-cost pharmaceutical access to our most vulnerable populations. SafeNetRx has established one of the nation's leading state drug donation programs and is currently leading initiatives to address high rates of recidivism among justice-involved populations.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy
Mrs. Shearie Archer is the Executive Director of Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy, a free pharmacy that provides life-sustaining medication to uninsured low-income adult individuals in southwest Alabama. Under Shearie's 10 years of direction, Ozanam has development a diversified marketing and development plan which includes direct mail campaigns, special event, e-fundraising and grant writing. Mrs. Archer has over 20 years of nonprofit management, fundraising and marketing. She has secured over $2 million in unique fundraisers like Lucky Ducky Derby and Direct Mail events like No Show Gala. Finally, Shearie is a board member of Charitable Pharmacies of America.
Job Titles:
- Founder of TJS Consulting
Tracey Spangenberg RPH is founder of TJS Consulting. Having spent three decades in operations leading teams and people she realized helping support individuals become the best version of themselves was tremendously fulfilling. Combining her people skills along years of project and product development led her to create "Finding Your Genius". It is a data driven approach to helping individuals align their talents, skills to their priorities.
In her prior leadership role at OptumRx, VP of Business and Operations Optimization, she was able to lead multiple initiatives in a complex healthcare environment working with clients and leaders across silos to drive improved patient
experience and health outcomes. It is because of this work, navigating across the continuum of care that she developed a passion for health equity recognizing there was a tremendous amount of work to do to reduce disparities.
Tracey is a graduate of the University of Kwa Zulu Natal in South Africa with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. She has worked in hospital, manufacturing, retail operations and pharmacy benefit management. In these roles she was fortunate to be on the pioneering forefront of developing clinical programs and even the integration of immunizations into the retail pharmacy model.
Yolanda Tolson, BSPharm, is the Charge Pharmacist at the St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy (SVdPCP) in Madison, WI. She oversees day to day operations and manages drug inventory through a combination of wholesale purchases, donated drugs, and free medications through patient assistance programs. Her team is creating a progressive, interdisciplinary, environment utilizing the diverse skills of community-based and UW Madison affiliated volunteers to deliver direct patient care and is working to obtain Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative (WPQC) certification. Yolanda received her B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1995.
In addition to St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy Management, she serves as a faculty assistant and preceptor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is a relief pharmacist for local pharmacies in the Madison area.