Advocacy Engagement Critical
"Even if you’ve never personally engaged your legislators, you need to know that we have the strongest political resource there is: our patients. If we educate our patients about their rights, then we improve our relationship with them, and they will become our biggest advocates to the community and to our lawmakers."
"But we can’t just rely on patients to advocate for our profession. We pharmacists must educate, share our experiences and befriend our elected officials. Legislators are people just like us and those that are truly look out for their communities will listen to you so they can make better decisions."
Photo: Joe with U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (L) in his Washington office.
How Do You Feel About Your Daughter Following In Your Footsteps?
"I couldn’t feel prouder than to have my daughter work side-by-side with me. We learn from each other -- professionally and through life’s ups and downs."
What are Your Favorite Things to Do Outside Work?
"Spending time with my family. Barbecuing on weekends, going to other family gatherings, watching movies together, Texas Longhorns football games, and just plain hanging out. I have two sons and one daughter, a daughter-in-law and a soon-to-be daughter in law, and three beautiful grandchildren: two boys and one diva!"
What's Interesting About You That Most Pharmacists Wouldn’t Know?
"In my 30s, I developed this crazy idea that I could make a difference in my community. So, I ran for School Board in a district with 25,000 students spread out over a 900 square-mile area. I served three terms -- 9 years --and was Vice-President and President during that time."
"After that adventure, I was recruited to run for Mayor of my community: Edinburg, Texas, population 80,000. I had the privilege of serving as Mayor for the City of Edinburg for five terms -- 13 years. Today, I serve on the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission and have been its Chairman for four years. I take a lot of pride in our community and love to serve it."
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