1-1 By: Van de Putte S.C.R. No. 52 1-2 (In the Senate - Filed May 3, 2001; May 4, 2001, read first 1-3 time and referred to Committee on Health and Human Services; 1-4 May 8, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 8, 1-5 Nays 0; May 8, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, Both statewide and nationally, the public is 1-8 focusing attention on issues facing the health care industry that 1-9 impact each individual and family's personal and economic future 1-10 well-being; and 1-11 WHEREAS, A senior citizens prescription benefit to help 1-12 seniors deal with the high price of prescription medication is 1-13 being developed nationally; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Genomics and biotech breakthroughs will shift the 1-15 health care system from cure to prevention, which will bring added 1-16 responsibilities for pharmacists; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Pharmacists recognize the leadership of the 1-18 physician and the need to have the physician at the head of the 1-19 health care team with the pharmacist as a vital member of the team, 1-20 along with nurses, dentists, and other health care professionals; 1-21 and 1-22 WHEREAS, It is in the public interest and crucial to the 1-23 future of health care that physicians, pharmacists, nurses, 1-24 dentists, other health care professionals, and other interested 1-25 persons creatively think about future roles of health care 1-26 providers; and 1-27 WHEREAS, As a first step in this collaborative effort, the 1-28 Texas Pharmacy Foundation partnered with the Texas Institute for 1-29 Health Policy Research in September, 2000, to present a symposium 1-30 on the Role of the Pharmacist in the 21st Century, seeking input 1-31 from the other health professions as well as from pharmacists with 1-32 a desire to be knowledgeable and proactive regarding the future of 1-33 pharmacists in the State of Texas; and 1-34 WHEREAS, The institute developed a research methodology that 1-35 combined a qualitative approach (breakout sessions following expert 1-36 presentations) with quantitative features (on-site instant opinion 1-37 polling) to help achieve this goal of having pharmacists, 1-38 physicians, nurses, other health care professionals, and other 1-39 interested persons creatively think about future issues; and 1-40 WHEREAS, The most experienced and interested speakers 1-41 available made presentations, and while greater numbers of 1-42 participants would have possibly increased the richness of the 1-43 interactions, much was gleaned from what was presented at the 1-44 symposium, and more future input from a diverse cross section of 1-45 the health care community should be obtained; and 1-46 WHEREAS, Collaborative planning often runs into trouble when 1-47 individuals and groups do not share a similar viewpoint of the 1-48 future, for instance, that future health care systems will shift 1-49 from care to prevention, then related decisions will be difficult 1-50 to agree upon; the problem is not in having differing viewpoints of 1-51 the future; in fact, expressing differing viewpoints is a critical 1-52 stage in successful decision-making; the problem lies in not 1-53 uncovering or clarifying underlying, conflicting assumptions which 1-54 may be the root cause for faulty decision-making or may prevent 1-55 organizations from moving forward; now, therefore, be it 1-56 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 1-57 hereby recognize the value that can be obtained for the citizens of 1-58 Texas if health care professionals come together to discuss future 1-59 roles for each profession and their interprofessional relationships 1-60 with the end result being better quality health care for all 1-61 persons and improved outcomes for medical treatments; and, be it 1-62 further 1-63 RESOLVED, That the legislature encourages the foundation to 1-64 continue its efforts to initiate this very important 2-1 interprofessional dialogue and that the institute serve as a 2-2 facilitating entity to bring all health care groups and other 2-3 stakeholders together for exchange of information and creation of a 2-4 blueprint for the future of health care service delivery; and, be 2-5 it further 2-6 RESOLVED, That the Texas Statewide Health Coordinating 2-7 Council, all agencies that are a part of the Health Professions 2-8 Council, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, other 2-9 agencies designated by the chair of the House Public Health 2-10 Committee or the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services 2-11 Committee, and all state institutions of higher education health 2-12 related programs are hereby urged to fully cooperate with the 2-13 continuation of this plan development; and, be it further 2-14 RESOLVED, That the Senate Committee on Health and Human 2-15 Services and the House Committee on Public Health and the Committee 2-16 on Human Services are each requested to have the chair of the 2-17 committee or the chair's designee, attend each plenary session of 2-18 the coalition of health groups which form the "Health Care Team" 2-19 and participate in such sessions and report back on the 2-20 recommendations of the group before the start of the next regular 2-21 session of the Texas Legislature in January, 2003; and, be it 2-22 further 2-23 RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature hereby commend the Texas 2-24 Pharmacy Foundation and the Texas Institute for Health Policy 2-25 Research for providing leadership and opportunity for health care 2-26 professionals, citizens, and patients to accomplish better health 2-27 outcomes in their communities by engaging in dialogue that will 2-28 result in a better understanding of the scope of practice of 2-29 pharmacists and as a member of the "Health Care Team"; and, be it 2-30 further 2-31 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be provided to the 2-32 foundation and institute as an expression of the commendation from 2-33 the Texas Legislature. 2-34 * * * * *