The Board and Staff at Rx Partnership - free medicine for Virginia's Uninsured

L.M. “Lou” Markwith, Chair
L.M. “Lou” Markwith currently serves as Senior Counsel for DeWitt & Associates, Inc., providing management consulting services in the field of fund development, marketing and communications. Mr. Markwith previously held the position of Executive Director for the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, working to improve access to necessary health care for those who need it the most – the working poor. Mr. Markwith has extensive experience with nonprofit organizations including the National Kidney Foundation of the Virginias, Inc. and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Mr. Markwith has over twenty-five years of involvement with institutions of higher education including the University of Wisconsin Foundation, Longwood University, Gallaudet University, and the University of Richmond. Responsibilities in these positions included; fund raising, alumni relations, government relations, planning and publications. Mr. Markwith earned his B.S. in Business Administration and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Richmond.

Michelle Brauns, Chair-Elect
Michelle Brauns is the Executive Director of the Free Clinic of New River Valley (FCNRV) in Christiansburg, Virginia. Michelle directs the strategic and operational aspects of the FCNRV including resource development activities such as grant writing/management, fundraising and financial management. Michelle holds an M.S. in Corporate and Professional Communications from Radford University and spent the first 15 years of her career in both small hospital settings and large corporate environments focusing on healthcare strategic planning, marketing communications, project management and development. Michelle has also taught as an adjunct instructor at both Virginia Tech and Radford University in public relations, speech and media.

Deborah D. Oswalt, Vice-Chair
Deborah Oswalt is the founding Director of the Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF), where she has dedicated her efforts to making primary health care more available to uninsured and medically underserved Virginians since 1992. Under Ms. Oswalt’s leadership, the VHCF has funded 238 projects providing health services to over 500,000 medically underserved and uninsured Virginians. Prior to her position at the Foundation, she served as Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources in the Cabinets of Governors Baliles and Wilder and worked for seven years closely with state agencies that regulate, deliver and monitor health services, including the Departments of Health, Health Professions, Medical Assistance Services (Medicaid), and Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services; as well as the Health Services Cost Review Council. Her Richmond work began at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, where she worked as a staff attorney for four years. She graduated from Rutgers University School of Law in 1979 and has worked on issues related to health and human resources ever since.

Peter F. Gallagher, Treasurer
President of Manakin Associates, LLC. Mr. Gallagher formerly served as Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer of Bon Secours Virginia. In this role he was responsible for the financial management of the local health system, as well as financial planning,control and approval of all managed care arrangements. In addition, he is a member and CFO of the Steering Committee of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. Prior to joining Bon Secours, he was senior vice president of the Facility Consulting Group at W.R. Adams Company, a healthcare facilities consulting firm specializing in planning, program management and facility development. He is very active in the community and has been a member of a number of organizations including: the Healthcare Financial Management Association National Board of Examiners, and the Virginia Hospital Association Council on Finance. He is a Board Member for the Greater Richmond Chapter of the American Red Cross and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, among others. Peter received his BS from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and his MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Patricia L. Richards-Spruill, Secretary
Patricia Richards-Spruill is a native of Suffolk, Virginia. She received the B.S. in Pharmacy-Howard University College of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences, Magna Cum Laude in December 1974. She culminated 7 years in the Washington D.C. area as Director of Pharmacy Operations at D.C. General Hospital. Shortly thereafter, she returned to Suffolk, Virginia to work side-by-side with her lifetime career mentor and father, James E. Richards, Sr. at Suffolk Professional Pharmacy. After the successful transition of Suffolk Professional Pharmacy's business to Rite Aide, Mrs. Richards-Spruill started a series of pharmacy-supervisory positions; first with Rite-Aid, followed by similar responsibilities at Humana Group Health (Directorship), Group Health Association, Kaiser and ultimately Target, where among her duties as Executive Team Leader-Pharmacy Manager Target Store 1420, she also served as Target College Liaison for Hampton University.

Gina Pitrone, Immediate Past Chair
Gina Pitrone recently accepted the position of Director of Obici Health Care Foundation where she is working with a team to address the unmet health care needs of Western Tidewater. Prior to Obici, Ms. Pitrone was the first Executive Director for the Sentara Health Foundation, where she made a profound and lasting impact on the health of the medically underserved in the community. She helped to establish an endowment that has grown to $15 million and currently funds a number of community recognition grants and critical health care initiatives. Prior to Sentara she was the Executive Director of the Bon Secours DePaul Health Foundation, where she established the Sister Agatha Community Endowment to provide health care to the poor. She served as Chairman of the Virginia Department of Health steering committee for the Cardiovascular Health Coalition, Healthy Pathways from 2000 to 2005 and has a mayoral appointment to the Mayor's Commission to End Homelessness in Norfolk, Virginia. She received a Governor appointment to the State Planning Grant Steering Committee and has been a Board Member and community action group member for a number of organizations in the community.

Patrick W. Finnerty
Pat is a skilled and knowledgeable health care consultant who gained considerable experience through thirty-two years of dedicated public service including: serving as Virginia’s Medicaid Director for eight years; managing the Virginia state employee health benefits program and directing a legislative health policy commission. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and has a proven record of success working at the highest levels of state government as well as the private sector.

James L. Black, Jr., R.Ph.
James Black has over 30 years experience in both retail and hospital pharmacy as well as an extensive volunteer background in Southwestern Virginia. He received his pharmacy degree from the VCU Medical College of Virginia and is a volunteer pharmacist and board member for the Bradley Free Clinic (RxP Affiliate). He has been recognized for his outstanding community achievements including the Hand in Hand Health Award from Carilion Clinic, Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and the David Newman Award for Volunteer Excellence from Bradley Free Clinic.

Karen Dulaney
Karen Dulaney is the Executive Director of Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Karen graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in Psychology and completed the Nonprofit Management Certificate Program through Virginia Commonwealth University. She has worked in a health care setting since her first job as a hospital unit secretary at the age of 16. She has been at the Lloyd F. Moss Free Clinic since 1995 and served on the Virginia Association of Free Clinics’ board of directors from 1999 to 2007. Karen is active in numerous community health care initiatives, committees and coalitions.

Edwina Gary
Edwina Gary is currently President and Director, Community HealthCare Associates, Inc., based in Suffolk, VA. In this role, Edwina has a client base that includes six community health centers, a state primary care association, a health care foundation, and a TA consulting firm for whom she provides grant writing services, strategic planning, staff development, and/or performance improvement consulting. Prior to establishing Community HealthCare Associates, Inc., Edwina was CEO of Peninsula Institute She is affiliated with a number of organizations, including, the Community Care Network of Virginia. Edwina has previously served on the board of Access Partnership, Women's Health Virginia, Newport News Alliance for Youth, and the Newport News' Office of Youth Development. Edwina is a graduate of Bennett College, Depaul Hospital School of Cytology, and Old Dominion University. for Community Health (PICH) in Newport News.

L. Preston Hale, R.Ph.
Preston Hale designed and developed the original Compute-Rx Pharmacy System software that was later bought by QS/1. Currently, he is the National Strategic Accounts Manager for Q/S1 but has also held positions such as Vice President of Development, Senior Vice President of Institutional Systems and Senior VP of Marketing and Customer Relations. After owning and operating several pharmacies in central Virginia during his early career, he was involved in the development of at least five other software applications in addition to Compute-Rx. Mr. Hale has also served as an integral part of the Virginia Pharmacist Association and is currently serving as President. He has received numerous awards such as the V.Ph.A. Outstanding Pharmacist, the MCV Alumni Service Award and the VCU School of Pharmacy Alumni Star Award. Mr. Hale received his degree from the Medical College of Virginia School of Pharmacy and currently resides in Richmond, VA.

Caroline Juran, Virginia Board of Pharmacy Representative, Ex Officio
Rx Partnership’s ex officio representative, Caroline Juran, from the Virginia Board of Pharmacy is an important link between the organization and a state regulatory office. Caroline graduated from The Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University with a BS in Pharmacy and is currently an Affiliated Member of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. The insight and experience provided to RxP by a member of the Board of Pharmacy is integral as the organization navigates the patient assistance program world and shares best practices and recommendations with its 20 Affiliate free clinics and community health centers. www.dhp.virginia.gov/pharmacy

Anne Rieger, RN, MBA, NEA, BC
In her position at Inova, Ms. Rieger provides oversight and leadership for several Community Health Division Departments and regional programs including HealthSource, the Juniper HIV program, Inova Diabetes Center, InovaCares clinic for Women and Children, Peri-natal Outreach program, Disease Management and the Streamlined Eligibility Program. Prior to this position she was Senior Director of the Community Safety net, responsible for developing and implementing strategies to strengthen and cost effectively deliver Safety Net Services across Northern Virginia. Previous experience includes work as a registered nurse, hospital administrator and chief nurse executive among others.

Dr. Dorothy Smith
Dr. Dorothy Smith is Founder and President of Consumer Health Information Corporation, a full-service patient education company which, since 1983, has developed highly successful evidence-based patient education programs to help bridge the gap between health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, patients, and consumers and increase patient adherence. Dorothy is an internationally recognized author, patient advocate and pharmacy educator. Dorothy is affiliated with 40 universities and serves as a preceptor for senior Doctor of Pharmacy students. She is a member of a number of organizations, including the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Drug Information Association, and the National Council on Patient Information and Education. Dorothy was the recipient of the APhA Foundation 2010 Pinnacle Award for her international leadership in patient education and patient adherence which has helped to redefine the health care system by focusing on enhancing overall quality and improving patient outcomes.