Pharmacy Technician

Hagerstown Community College's pharmacy technician program recently received one-year accreditation by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Commission on Credentialing.  HCC is one of only three accredited technician training programs in Maryland. The commission is responsible for the accreditation of pharmacy residencies and pharmacy technician training programs. This includes formulating and recommending changes in standards, assessing programs adherence to compliance of the standards, and recommending accreditation status of programs.

Linda Smith, adjunct instructor at Hagerstown Community College, was recently appointed as a board member of the Maryland chapter of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP).  Formed in 1969, ASCP's mission is to manage and improve drug therapy, as well as improve the quality of life of geriatric patients and other individuals in both public and private care. Currently, ASCP has more than 7,000 professional members and more than 4,500 student members in pharmacy, pre-pharmacy, and pharmacy technician programs throughout the United States and Canada.

A registered nurse pleaded guilty Thursday in Washington County Circuit Court to forging two prescriptions for Percocet in December and was sentenced to 18 months of supervised probation. Michelle Louise Ludwick, 31, whose last known address was 13851 Sunrise Drive in Hagerstown, pleaded guilty to two counts of attaining a controlled dangerous substance by forged prescription. Circuit Judge John H. McDowell ordered Ludwick to serve two concurrent 18-month jail sentences, which he suspended.

Edith Leona (Brinton) Seal, 91, of Hagerstown, passed away Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, at NMS Healthcare. Born Nov. 5, 1921, in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of the late Abram S. and Bertha Blaine (Springer) Brinton. Edith was a graduate of Hagerstown High School. She worked as a pharmacy technician assistant at People's Drug Store and CVS for 53 years. She is survived by a daughter, Dixie L. Sirbaugh and her husband, Junior, of Boonsboro; a son, Ronnie Lacey and his wife, Dianna, of Hagerstown; nine grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

HAGERSTOWN --Two men who robbed Schindel's Pharmacy on Thursday made everyone lie down as they stole cash and a prescription drug, an employee said. Karen Hartle, a pharmacy technician, said the men claimed they had a gun. After grabbing the prescription drug OxyContin, they stole money from the register, Hartle said. Schindel's is on Oak Hill Avenue in Hagerstown's north end. Four employees were in the store when the robbery happened shortly before 3 p.m., Hartle said.

Rachel Flurie, daughter of Mike and Ranelle Flurie of Hagerstown, graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in May, earning her Doctor of Pharmacy. After graduating from St. Mary's College of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, Flurie went to pharmacy graduate school at the University of Maryland. While in pharmacy school, she was involved in many pharmacy organizations. Flurie is a member of the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

Takaila Warfield, 21, was recently named the recipient of the $2,000 Rose Marie Coughlin Scholarship through a program offered by the Hagerstown Housing Authority.  Warfield is pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician at Hagerstown Community College. She is also the mother of a 2-year-old daughter. Like many young parents, Warfield finds herself juggling the responsibilities of being a parent and studying for school to become self-sufficient.  To assist her in becoming self-sufficient so she can build a brighter future for her daughter, Warfield has taken advantage of the opportunities provided to her while living in subsidized housing.   One of the opportunities is the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, a five-year, Housing and Urban Development-funded program offered by the housing authority.

Palmer-Gawason Corinne Marie Gawason and Ronald Elwood Palmer III were married Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004, at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Runnemede in Westville, N.J., by Pastor Edward Schmidt. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Walter Gawason of Westville. The bridegroom is the son of Tina Brown of Hagerstown and Ronald Elwood Palmer Jr., of Williamsport. The bride is a graduate of Woodbury Jr/Sr High School, Widener University and Cabrini College.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- On a recent day, teacher Sally Irwin's classroom was full of Washington County Technical High School students who are taking her biomedical science classes, along with sophomores from Williamsport and North Hagerstown high schools on a second visit because they are considering attending the school. After lunch, in came several seniors who this year are taking advanced placement biology and who last year took Irwin's introductory biomed course. Chodian Nelson, a Williamsport sophomore, wants to become a pediatrician.

Edith Leona (Brinton) Seal, 91, of Hagerstown, passed away Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, at NMS Healthcare. Born Nov. 5, 1921, in Hagerstown, she was the daughter of the late Abram S. and Bertha Blaine (Springer) Brinton. Edith was a graduate of Hagerstown High School. She worked as a pharmacy technician assistant at People's Drug Store and CVS for 53 years. She is survived by a daughter, Dixie L. Sirbaugh and her husband, Junior, of Boonsboro; a son, Ronnie Lacey and his wife, Dianna, of Hagerstown; nine grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren.

Rachel Flurie, daughter of Mike and Ranelle Flurie of Hagerstown, graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in May, earning her Doctor of Pharmacy. After graduating from St. Mary's College of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry, Flurie went to pharmacy graduate school at the University of Maryland. While in pharmacy school, she was involved in many pharmacy organizations. Flurie is a member of the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists.

Takaila Warfield, 21, was recently named the recipient of the $2,000 Rose Marie Coughlin Scholarship through a program offered by the Hagerstown Housing Authority.  Warfield is pursuing a career as a pharmacy technician at Hagerstown Community College. She is also the mother of a 2-year-old daughter. Like many young parents, Warfield finds herself juggling the responsibilities of being a parent and studying for school to become self-sufficient.  To assist her in becoming self-sufficient so she can build a brighter future for her daughter, Warfield has taken advantage of the opportunities provided to her while living in subsidized housing.   One of the opportunities is the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, a five-year, Housing and Urban Development-funded program offered by the housing authority.

Hagerstown Community College professor Elaine Ashby recently worked as a consultant for the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.   Ashby, a professor of biology and chemistry who helped to create HCC's pharmacy technician program, was part of a consulting team that helped to plan, build and edit the new website, which can be viewed at www.easyread.drugabuse.gov .  According to the National Institutes of Health, the goal of the site...

Hagerstown Community College's pharmacy technician program recently received one-year accreditation by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Commission on Credentialing.  HCC is one of only three accredited technician training programs in Maryland. The commission is responsible for the accreditation of pharmacy residencies and pharmacy technician training programs. This includes formulating and recommending changes in standards, assessing programs adherence to compliance of the standards, and recommending accreditation status of programs.

Behind the pharmacy counter, the familiar bags of medications are tagged and labeled alphabetically in plastic containers. Customers come and go - but not everyone is there to drop off or pick up a prescription. Some have come for an influenza or shingles vaccine. Others are there to have their blood pressure checked. And many arrive with questions. Will a certain over-the-counter medicine interact with their hypertension pills? What can they do to improve their cholesterol count?

Linda Smith, adjunct instructor at Hagerstown Community College, was recently appointed as a board member of the Maryland chapter of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP).  Formed in 1969, ASCP's mission is to manage and improve drug therapy, as well as improve the quality of life of geriatric patients and other individuals in both public and private care. Currently, ASCP has more than 7,000 professional members and more than 4,500 student members in pharmacy, pre-pharmacy, and pharmacy technician programs throughout the United States and Canada.

HAGERSTOWN --Two men who robbed Schindel's Pharmacy on Thursday made everyone lie down as they stole cash and a prescription drug, an employee said. Karen Hartle, a pharmacy technician, said the men claimed they had a gun. After grabbing the prescription drug OxyContin, they stole money from the register, Hartle said. Schindel's is on Oak Hill Avenue in Hagerstown's north end. Four employees were in the store when the robbery happened shortly before 3 p.m., Hartle said.

Waltemire-Wright Charles and Mary Ellen Waltemire of Hagerstown announce the engagement of their daughter, Tia Nicole Waltemire, to Donald W. Wright, both of Hagerstown. He is the son of Glenn and Rebecca Davis of Hagerstown. Miss Waltemire is a 1998 graduate of South Hagerstown High School, a 2002 graduate of Shepherd College with a Bachelor of Arts in secondary math education and a 2005 graduate of University of Maryland School of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in nursing.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- On a recent day, teacher Sally Irwin's classroom was full of Washington County Technical High School students who are taking her biomedical science classes, along with sophomores from Williamsport and North Hagerstown high schools on a second visit because they are considering attending the school. After lunch, in came several seniors who this year are taking advanced placement biology and who last year took Irwin's introductory biomed course. Chodian Nelson, a Williamsport sophomore, wants to become a pediatrician.