Pharmacy Officers: Guardians of National Health and Safety

The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps had its beginnings with the creation of the Marine Hospital Fund in 1798, which later was reorganized in 1871 as the Marine Hospital Service. The Marine Hospital Service was charged with the care and maintenance of merchant sailors, but as the country grew, so did the ever-expanding mission of the service. The Marine Hospital Service soon began taking on new expanding health roles that included such health initiatives that protected the commerce and health of America. One such role was quarantine . describe how pharmacy officers in the Commissioned Corps are making a difference in protecting, promoting, and advancing health and safety of the Nation. Pharmacists who serve in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service fill roles that are considerably different than their counterparts in the private sector. Their work takes them out from behind the counter and into the world. Pharmacy officers advance the health and safety of the Nation by their involvement in the delivery of direct patient care to medically underserved people, national security, drug vigilance, research and policy-making endeavors. pharmacists fill essential public health leadership and service roles throughout the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS and certain non-HHS federal agencies and programs. Also Officers execute the mission of the Corps in the following ways:

1-Help provide healthcare and related services to medically underserved populations: to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and to other population groups with special needs;
2-Prevent and control disease, identify health hazards in the environment and help correct them, and promote healthy lifestyles for the nation's citizens and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Health Resources and Services Administration, Food and Drug Administration, United States Coast Guard, Indian Health Service, and National Institutes of Health are among the many federal agencies where pharmacy officers are assigned . Public health—the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health—requires highly qualified public health professionals dedicated to delivering the Nation’s public health promotion and disease prevention programs and advancing public health science. As one of America’s seven uniformed services, the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. In each setting, pharmacists find traditional roles augmented with assignments and challenges that broaden the scope of their practice. Average Salary of Public health service pharmacist is $78,000 .