A ‘pillar’ of the community: Darcy Stann

February 2015 – Growing up in Rosthern, Saskatchewan (population 1,500), Darcy Stann remembers the local pharmacy as one of the most prominent businesses in town. So pursuing a career in pharmacy seemed like an ideal way to marry his penchant for both business and sciences.

Fortunately for the profession, this year’s Pillar of Pharmacy Award winner has been making a positive impact on community pharmacy ever since earning his pharmacy degree from the University of Saskatchewan in 1978.

A self-professed introvert, Stann has been a strong voice in pushing the evolution of pharmacy forward. Case in point: he spent 16 years working in regulatory affairs and helping to develop unique service offerings in Safeway Pharmacies. “I was fortunate that Safeway allowed me to create an environment where pharmacists could create a niche for themselves,” he says. “We really had the opportunity to have an influence on the change and evolution of pharmacy from a dispensing-only practice to a dispensing-service one.”

But it didn’t stop there. As principal of his own consulting firm, Firebird Management Consulting Group, Stann has worked with various clients to develop innovative practice designs to further business development and professional services. Since 2004, he has been actively involved in lobbying and negotiating with provincial and federal governments on pharmacy related reimbursement issues. His advice for successful negotiation? “Try and understand what the other side needs as much as what you need,” he says. “Create an environment where nobody ultimately wins or loses because if everyone is a little bit unhappy when they leave the table, it’s the right agreement.”

As lead advisor to the Alberta Pharmacists Association (RxA) during negotiations with Alberta Health and Alberta Blue Cross, Stann’s efforts helped land an agreement that will further expand the Compensation Plan for pharmacy services, and will introduce a new Alberta Blue Cross Pharmaceutical Provider Services Agreement for community pharmacies.

“I have been fortunate to work with Darcy over the last several years through many committees involving advocacy work on behalf of the pharmacy profession,” writes Margaret Wing, CEO of RxA in a letter of support. “It is through these many exchanges with Darcy that I have come to respect him for his sincerity, integrity and dedication to the profession.”

Stann will be honoured with the 2015 Pillar of Pharmacy Award at a ceremony in Calgary on March 24th.