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The Idaho Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Historical Highlights

1956 -- The Idaho Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ISHP) was first chartered.  Dues $5/year.  ISHP meets at ISPA convention in McCall.   Louis P. Jeffrey, President of ASHP at that time, came out to be the 10th ISHP member (10 pharmacists were required to start a chapter).  Don Ness, the father of hospital pharmacy in Idaho, was the first President.  Lou's first speedboat ride on Payette Lake resulted in an encounter with a swarm of bees.  He vowed never to return to Idaho.  Don Ness was runner-up for ASHP's coveted Harvey A. K. Whitney Award for his work at the state and national level. 

1967 -- First dues increase - $10/year

1972 -- ISHP breaks from ISPA & starts having Annual Fall Meeetings in Sun Valley with the Idaho Hospital Association (IHA)  Several other health care organizations also met during the IHA convention.  Also in 1972, when the ISU College of Pharmacy needed a clinical pharmacy program, Milt Kutsurelis (Director of Pharmacy at Mercy Medical Center in Nampa) worked out the arrangements to have students stay at the Idaho State School and Hospital and rotate through ISSH Pharmacy (Gary Ellenor), Terry Reilly Clinic (Doris Denney), and Mercy Medical Center (Sandra Jue). "It was an experience of a lifetime,” states one of the first students to complete the process (Dorothy Galloway).  Allen Frisk completed his master's thesis in this network, which was published in AJHP in 1977 and was the 1978 recipient of the ASHP Foundation's Award for Achievement in Hospital Pharmacy.  Memorable Quote:  "Clinical Pharmacy Program?  We have a Clinical Pharmacy Program in Nampa, Idaho, and it's a good one."  Milt Kutsurelis.

1973 --  Memorable Quote:  "Honestly, John...I think we can get just as good a view of beautiful Sun Valley if we were flying just a little higher!" - Bob Miller.  Our guests usually get the personal tour of Idaho by driving over Galena Summit to the Stanley Basin.  It is also breathtaking to fly into the Hailey Airport, which is no easy task.  After our 1973 meeting, John Rawlings was maneuvering his small plane out of the Valley and clipped a fence at the end of the runway. His passenger and our guest was that year's ASHP president, Bob Miller. Both sustained severe injuries but were able to return to their very successful pharmacy careers. Bob is now president of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.  John Rawlings was Father of Nursing Home Pharmacy in Idaho (and perhaps the United States). He started providing unit dose to nursing homes in 1964 and the project was published in AJHP in 1971.  Don Mathieson, the real "mastermind" behind the operation foresaw the need to add administrative and clinical pharmacy functions to the "package" to nursing homes. Rawlings, Mathieson and Allen Frisk published results of this package with financial reimbursement in the AJHP in 1977.

1979 -- Tie for President-Elect. decided by a coin flip.  First Pharmacy Phun Run. Secretary/Treasurer changed to a 3 year term.  In an attempt to improve our image with IHA, ISHP offered to coordinate a fun run for convention attendees. The "Pharmacy Physical Phitness Phun Run" was held from 1979 - 1991. The signs, arrows and directions were usually put up in the middle of the night by Saint Alphonsus staff.  We were able to obtain financial support from Roxane Labs and Richard Surface. The concept was so well accepted, Roxane put it on at several ASHP national conventions.  Memorable Quote:  "Wow! I never thought that golf cart bridge over the creek would hold a Cadillac...even with the top down." Somewhere between Hole #5 and Hole #6 on the Sun Valley Golf Course about midnight - Errol Maus.

1980 -- Continuing education becomes mandatory in Idaho.  Memorable Quote: "Frenchy, that is a nice shotgun and goose season is open...but those white things in the Sun Valley pond are SWANS!" - Robin Kinsey.  (Franchot Jensen, from State Hospital South, is an avid goose hunter.)

1981 -- 25th Anniversary of ISHP.   Memorable Quote:  "Lou, we promise, if you come out for our 25th Anniversary, there will be no swarming bees." Don Ness.  Louis Jeffery, Past President of ASHP and a founding member of ISHP in 1956 swore never to return to Idaho after an unfortunate incident with a swarm of bees.  With Don's promise, he returned to celebrate our 25th anniversary and was awarded an Honorary Membership.

1982 -- Memorable Quote:  "Come on, Joe, we'll show you where the action is!" - Stan Tollinger.  ISHP rarely has a national pharmacy figure decline to come to Sun Valley for our conventions.  Joe Ottis (ASHP's former Executive Director) was one of our most favorite and frequent attendees.  The "VA Gang" (led by Stan Tollinger and Leo Nickasch) would take the guests under their wing and escort them to various functions and activities.

1984 -- Even after putting on the annual Pharmacy Phun Run for the convention, we continued to receive warnings and criticisms about our "work hard/play hard" attitude and late night antics.  In our final attempt to keep peace with the hospital association, we all came in Friday night to celebrate and socialize. McGaw Labs and Ron Lawton hosted the event.  When John Hutchinson arrived at 2:00 AM, we thought he was bringing an "Olive Branch of Peace."  Not!  He was trying to sleep in the room below us, and he was NOT happy.  Memorable Quote: "Look, Everybody! The Executive Director of the Idaho Hospital Association, John Hutchinson, has come to join our party!" -Brent Fricke.  Two things evolved... ISHP began having Friday CE sessions and our own convention at Elkhorn, over the hill from Sun Valley.  IHA tried for years to get ISHP to re-join their convention, but we had declared our independence.

1985 -- Part time secretary hired.  First publication of the Idaho Journal of Clinical Rx.

1986 -- Dues increased to $20/year.

1988 -- Dues increased to $25/year.  Memorable Quote:  "The dress? Tell them that the dress in semi-formal." - Neil Griggs.  The Sun Valley Convention occurs nearly every year on the first weekend in October. Ironically, this happens to be the first week after the ASHP Board of Directors meet at ASHP Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The newly-installed ASHP President has just completed his/her first function and their second assignment is to attend some local & state chapter's meetings.  It became a standing practical joke to tell our guest that dress is semi-formal.  To East Coast folks, this means don't bring your tuxedo/formal wear. In Idaho, it means you take off your "Dockers" and put on your "Levis." Inevitably, on Day 1 they show up in a rather formal suit/tie and very overdressed. Inevitably, on Day 2, they show up in casual wear, usually with some type of Sun Valley logo purchased locally...a Souvenir! 

1989 -- Bylaws changed to elect the President to a 2 year term

1991 -- Student Chapter established at ISU.  Dues increased to $35/year.  First 2 year President.

1992 -- First Executive Director hired (John Wiltse).  ISHP becomes an ACPE-accredited provider of pharmacy continuing education.

1993 -- Dues increased to $45/year.

1994 -- Memorable Quote:  "82! Call the Guinness Book of Records and update our world record. Last year it was only 77!" - Ron Endo.   For many years - no one can be sure exactly how long - we held our Awards Banquet in the loft of Louie's Italian Restaurant in Ketchum.  Louie's was in an old remodled church that could serve small groups - up to 60 - in the former choir loft. The standing joke/world record was: "How many hospital pharmacy people can you fit into a church choir loft?"  Answer: 82  In 1994, the last year we could fit into the facility, we honored one of the Society's most respected and prolific members, Bob Endo. Not only did he teach the Hospital Pharmacy course at ISU and mentor hundreds of pharmacy students, he contributed a good portion of his family to the profession: Ron Endo, Dale Fayle-Endo (Ron's wife), Jennifer Endo Cravens and Greg Cravens (Jennifer's husband) - pharmacists one and all.

1995 -- Name changed to the Idaho Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

2001 --  Memorable Quote:  "Oh, taxi --can you drop me off at the Lodge in Sun Valley?" Overheard  by an ISHP speaker at the Boise Airport.  On the lighter side of John and Bob's tragic airplane accident (see 1973), our nationally renowned speakers often do not comprehend the vast wide open spaces out West.  In 2001, ISHP had to pay a taxi driver (including overnight accommodations) $700 to get one of our East coast speakers here from Boise. "It was only about 1 inch on the map," was his apologetic explanation.  Fortunately, the company sponsor later reimbursed ISHP for the expense.

2004 -- ISHP incorporates as a non-profit corporation under Idaho Law.

2006 -- 50th Anniversary of ISHP.  Past Presidents perform the "ISHP Anthem," a song loosly based on the music, lyrics and movements of the song "YMCA."  Allen Frisk, ISHP Historian Emeritus, presents the Top Tem Memorable Quotes in ISHP History (some of which have been redacted herein to protect the innocent.)  On one visit to an ISHP meeting, Marianne Ivey (Past ASHP President from Cincinnati) was so enamored with Sun Valley that her family purchased a "summer home" there.  Marianne attended our 50th Anniversary Celebration.  Bob  Endo was awarded an Honory Membership.

2007 -- First ISHP Lottery.  Dues increased to $90/year.  Membership year changed.  Harold Driver was awarded an Honorary Membership.

2008 -- ISHP starts using Wild Apricot association management program with new website and online member, meeting and event registrations.  Sam Hoagland was named "Honorary Apricot" for his work on the project.  Tricia Killingsworth was elected ASHP Director at Large; Elaine Ladd was appointed to ASHP New Practitioners Committee.

2010 -- Mike Carnley was awarded an Honorary Membership, then died of cancer just a few months later.

2011 - The Bylaws were amended to change the President's term back from two years to one year.  Former Executive Director John Wiltse died in Texas.

Contact Us:
(208) 342-2581
ishpcontact@gmail.com

Address:
P.O. Box 7625
Boise, ID 83707

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