[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 91 (Thursday, June 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING PROFESSOR MEL BARON ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RECEIPT OF THE 
PINNACLE AWARD FROM THE AMERICAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION IN 
  RECOGNITION OF HIS PIONEERING WORK TO ADDRESS THE PHARMACY NEEDS OF 
                        UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 23, 2011

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Professor Mel 
Baron of the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy upon 
his receipt of the Pinnacle Award for Individual Achievement by the 
American Pharmacists Association Foundation (APhA).
  Dr. Baron, who is now celebrating his 52nd year in the pharmacy 
profession, ranks as a practice pioneer, an educational futurist and a 
regional force in meeting the pharmacy needs of our community. He has 
been a visionary in establishing pharmacy as part of the solution in 
meeting the health-care needs of Southern California's 2.7 million 
uninsured residents. Dr. Baron is a recognized leader in providing 
expanded pharmacy services in safety-net clinics that increase the 
number of patients served while also providing better and more cost-
efficient care. His pioneering effort to secure USC's first funding 
grant for clinical pharmacy practice in safety-net clinics earned the 
School of Pharmacy the APhA Pinnacle Award for Group Practice, the 
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' (ASHP) Best Practices 
Award and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's (AACP) 
Transformative Community Service Award over the past few years.
  Furthering his efforts to address the needs of underserved 
populations in Southern California, Dr. Baron has produced a series of 
Spanish and English fotonovelas (comic book-like pamphlets) on 
medication compliance, diabetes, folic acid, depression, dementia, 
pediatric asthma and childhood obesity. Recognizing the lack of 
culturally sensitive health information on these topics, Dr. Baron 
obtained grant funding to produce them. Through these materials, he has 
extended the reach of pharmacy expertise tremendously and offered vital 
information to the residents I represent in East Los Angeles. These 
fotonovelas have now been distributed across the country. In addition 
to the print versions, local actors have done theatrical readings of 
them at health fairs in Los Angeles. Currently, he is also leading an 
effort to produce a DVD series for prospective transplant patients and 
their families.
  Earlier in his career, Dr. Baron worked in his own medical-building 
pharmacy. In the 1970s, he grew his business into a vibrant home-care 
pharmacy that met the pressing needs of patients struggling to live in 
a health-care environment with limited resources. At a time when home-
care pharmacy services were in their infancy, Dr. Baron had the vision 
to use pharmacist expertise in the home-care setting to meet the needs 
of these patients.
  Dr. Baron also approaches his teaching with excellence in mind. He 
originated externships for USC pharmacy students back in the 1980s--
long before most pharmacy students were doing any clinical work in the 
early years of their curriculum. Dr. Baron recognized the wisdom of 
exposing pharmacy students to clinical settings early and often in 
their educational careers. Dr. Baron also has made it a priority to 
teach an annual course on leadership to pharmacy students.
  Clearly, Dr. Baron has been at the forefront of the most pressing 
issues of pharmacy today. Through hard work, Dr. Baron's long and 
vibrant career has been marked by pioneering foresight and vision. In 
addition, his work has inspired students and served those in our 
community who are most vulnerable and in need.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in congratulating 
Dr. Baron on his receipt of the Pinnacle Award and in thanking him for 
his half-century of exceptional service to our community. His tireless 
leadership, innovation and inspiration have made a tremendous 
contribution to our community and to the nation, and I extend to him my 
best wishes for many more successful years ahead.

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