[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING SYLESTER FLOWERS, R. PH.

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 3, 2014

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
exceptional life of Mr. Sylester Flowers. Known as a hardworking and 
long-standing public health advocate, and a visionary in the field of 
pharmaceutical services, Mr. Flowers has left an indelible mark on Bay 
Area communities. With his passing on June 21, 2014, we look to 
Sylester Flowers' legacy and the outstanding quality of his life's 
work.
  Born on June 30, 1935 in High Point, North Carolina, Mr. Flowers grew 
up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from 
Howard University in 1958 and moved to California after serving in the 
military. He worked as a pharmacist at St. Luke's Hospital in San 
Francisco from 1961 to 1963 before opening his first retail pharmacy, 
The Apothecary, in East Oakland in 1964. He opened other pharmacies in 
working-class neighborhoods that grew into a successful chain, all 
while primarily serving underrepresented communities. In 1967, Mr. 
Flowers founded the Ramsell Corporation (Ramsell) as a holding company 
for his pharmacies. His business later flourished as he expanded into 
managing pharmaceutical services. In addition, he served as the 
Pharmacy Director for the San Francisco County Mental Health 
Department's methadone treatment program from 1971 to 1982, and also 
held teaching positions as an adjunct professor of pharmacy at the 
University of the Pacific in Stockton and as an assistant clinical 
professor of pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco 
School of Pharmacy.
  Headquartered in Oakland, Ramsell serves as the parent company to 
four healthcare-related businesses including Ramsell Public Health Rx, 
Ramsell Pharmacy Solutions, Ramsell Information Technology and Ramsell 
International. In 1997, Ramsell won a competitive bid to administer the 
State of California's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), and the 
company operates similar programs in Oregon, Texas, Washington, 
Colorado and Delaware. Active in 14 states, Ramsell provides forty 
percent of HIV/AIDS medications nationally with a mission to ensure 
that underserved communities receive access to prescription drugs and 
quality health care services. Ramsell has expanded services to include 
drug administration program management, medication therapy management, 
patient assistance programs tools and re-entry solutions for 
Corrections. Mr. Flowers served as CEO and President of Ramsell until 
2008, when he stepped down and his son Eric Flowers took the reins. He 
served as Chairman of the Board until his passing.
  Throughout his prolific career, Mr. Flowers was also keenly committed 
to community leadership. With a strong passion for giving back to his 
community and finding solutions to bridging the gaps in care and 
treatment in marginalized populations, Mr. Flowers and his family 
established the Flowers Heritage Foundation in 2003 with an educational 
grant to Howard University. The Flowers Heritage Foundation became a 
non-profit organization in 2005 and is dedicated to working closely 
with community partners and stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes 
of the unmet needs in the healthcare system, which includes identifying 
and addressing disparities in HIV/AIDS care and prevention as well as 
other burgeoning health crises.
  Mr. Flowers also earned myriad accolades, including recognition by 
the California State Senate and then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 
2007, and receiving the California Pharmacy Hall of Fame Award in 2008 
by the California Pharmacists Association. In 2009, Mr. Flowers 
received the Pinnacle Award from the American Pharmacists Association 
Foundation for his leadership on enhancing healthcare quality. 
Additionally, he was honored by Howard University and received the 
Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement for his 
accomplishments in business and public health service. In 2013, the 
Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce honored Ramsell with the 
Oscar J. Coffey Small Business Award for its vital contributions to 
improving the lives of Oakland and Alameda County residents.
  Today, California's 13th Congressional District salutes and honors an 
outstanding individual and community leader, Mr. Sylester Flowers. His 
invaluable service to improving the lives of the underserved will live 
on in the endless legacy of his life's work. I offer my sincerest 
condolences to his many loved ones, friends and colleagues he touched 
over the course of his incredible life. May his soul rest in peace.

                          ____________________