David Loebsack: “Thank you, Mr. Collins. It is great to be here. I know that you folks have a lot of things going on on your side of the…”

“Thank you, Mr. Collins. It is great to be here. I know that you folks have a lot of things going on on your side of the aisle, and it is a testament to your commitment to this issue that you have gotten a number of your colleagues here tonight to speak to this issue, to speak to the importance of independent and community pharmacists. It is really, really important for America that we talk about this. And as Mr. Collins said--and Mr. Carter, I appreciate your invitation as well--it is really important that we speak to how important these folks are for our communities, for health care, for their patients. Mr. Blum, thank you for being here tonight as well. Mr. Blum represents the district that borders me to the north, and he mentioned the Hartig pharmacy. They have a pharmacy in Iowa City, and I took a little bit of time out of my schedule a couple years ago to visit there and to hear the problems that they have when it comes to all kinds of issues. This month, of course, is American Pharmacists Month. It is a month during which we recognize the important role that pharmacies play in our communities. Pharmacists are, in fact, frontline healthcare providers, and they are counselors for many patients who consistently depend on their training and expertise to stay informed, to stay healthy, and to stay out of the hospital.…”