California State Sen. Gilbert Cedillo presented a resolution from the State Legislature commending the USC School of Pharmacy on the Senate floor on Aug. 28 in Sacramento.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Assembly member Kevin de Leon, recognizes the school’s Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Economics & Policy for exemplary work in eight safety-net clinics serving the neediest neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

The school’s community pharmacy work also was honored earlier this year in Washington, D.C. with the 2007 Pinnacle Award presented by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation.

Receiving the proclamation in Sacramento was USC School of Pharmacy Dean R. Pete Vanderveen; department chair Kathleen Johnson, holder of the William A. and Josephine A. Heeres Endowed Chair in Community Pharmacy; professor Mel Baron; and clinical pharmacist Marie Martinez.

The resolution applauded the school’s success in delivering clinical pharmacy services to homeless and low-income patients in Los Angeles. These services primarily care for patients with chronic diseases, most frequently diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension, and have demonstrated significant improvements in patient outcomes directly attributed to pharmacist interventions.

Further, the resolution points to the program as a national model to improve health outcomes while saving precious health care dollars. By achieving improved disease control, the school’s work in the clinics has reduced medical costs by keeping patients out of emergency rooms and hospitals generally.

By implementing various pharmacy programs, the school’s work in the clinics also has produced drug cost savings.

While in Sacramento, the USC School of Pharmacy delegation met with elected officials to discuss the role of the clinical pharmacist in today’s health care environment, discussing pharmacy policy issues with members.

In addition to meeting personally with the resolution sponsors, the group met with Assembly members Mervyn Dymally and Alan Nakanishi. In addition, the group briefed staff from the offices of Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, Assembly member Karen Bass and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kimberley Belshe.