… Life at WBA Life at WBA Explore stories of our people from around the world. Explore stories of our people from around the world. From pharmacy to beauty to curbside … nonprofit work... Learn more Meet Peter Mansour, pharmacist, Walgreens Centralized Services support operations People & Perspectives October …
Walgreens Sandra F. Ryan Elected To The Fellowship Of The College Of Physicians Of Philadelphia
Honored as First Nurse Practitioner to be Inducted into Society
Ryan Joins Distinguished Roster of Fellows at Formal Induction
Ceremony on Nov. 18
PHILADELPHIA, PA., Nov. 18, 2011– Sandra Festa Ryan, MSN, CPNP, FAANP, Walgreens Take Care Health Systems Chief Nurse Practitioner Officer and Clinical Advocate, has been elected to the Fellowship of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The College was founded in 1787 by a group of physicians including Dr. Benjamin Rush and is the nation’s oldest medical society dedicated to advancing the cause of health while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine.
One of six founding officers of Take Care Health Systems and a founding board member of the Convenient Care Association (CCA), Ryan was the first chief nurse practitioner officer in the convenient care industry. She has paved the way for the nursing profession and nursing leadership within the evolving and growing industry. Ryan has been instrumental in developing and implementing clinical standards and evidenced-based guidelines delivered by operators in this retail-based setting. Within Take Care Health Systems, she has implemented a company-wide quality assurance program, ensuring consistency in quality care through the establishment of standard operating procedures using nationally recognized evidence-based guidelines. In addition, she’s helped to lead the development of a proprietary electronic medical record system used at Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens nationwide.
Walgreens Take Care Health Systems is the largest and most comprehensive manager of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers in the United States. Take Care Clinics are professional walk-in health care centers located at more than 350 Walgreens drugstores across the country and are largely staffed by nurse practitioners, as well as physician assistants in some states.
“We are pleased to welcome Sandy to the Fellowship. Through her leadership she has demonstrated commitment to enhancing the role that nursing can play in the future of health care,” said George M. Wohlreich, MD, Director and CEO and The Thomas W. Langfitt Chair. “Through her dedication and advocacy, she’s benefitted nurses and nurse practitioners by opening doors to new opportunities, helped to reinforce the value of a collaborative health care team to take care of a patient, and increased access for patients to receive high-quality, convenient health care.”
As the chair of the clinical advisory board of the CCA, Ryan was instrumental in the development and implementation of the CCA's ten quality and safety standards for the convenient care industry and has implemented a third-party certification process. As the chair of the provider task force to ensure quality educational offerings for convenient care providers, she helped to orchestrate the first ever Retail Congress Conference to address the educational needs of providers and to foster camaraderie and support for this new model of health care. Ryan has been the recipient of the American College of Nurse Practitioners’ Nancy Sharp Cutting Edge award and the Retail Clinician Congress’ CARE Leadership Award for her contributions to nurse practitioner practice in the convenient care industry.
Ryan has more than 25 years of health care and leadership experience and is a highly decorated U.S. Air Force officer. Ryan earned a B.S.N. in nursing from Niagara University and a M.S.N. from Arizona State University. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and an executive nurse fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
About The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia advances the cause of health while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. The College strives to enable individuals, families and communities to take greater responsibility for their health, improve the health of the public through service to health professionals, enhance appreciation of the heritage of medicine and provide information for the development of health policy.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,786 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
One of six founding officers of Take Care Health Systems and a founding board member of the Convenient Care Association (CCA), Ryan was the first chief nurse practitioner officer in the convenient care industry. She has paved the way for the nursing profession and nursing leadership within the evolving and growing industry. Ryan has been instrumental in developing and implementing clinical standards and evidenced-based guidelines delivered by operators in this retail-based setting. Within Take Care Health Systems, she has implemented a company-wide quality assurance program, ensuring consistency in quality care through the establishment of standard operating procedures using nationally recognized evidence-based guidelines. In addition, she’s helped to lead the development of a proprietary electronic medical record system used at Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens nationwide.
Walgreens Take Care Health Systems is the largest and most comprehensive manager of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers in the United States. Take Care Clinics are professional walk-in health care centers located at more than 350 Walgreens drugstores across the country and are largely staffed by nurse practitioners, as well as physician assistants in some states.
“We are pleased to welcome Sandy to the Fellowship. Through her leadership she has demonstrated commitment to enhancing the role that nursing can play in the future of health care,” said George M. Wohlreich, MD, Director and CEO and The Thomas W. Langfitt Chair. “Through her dedication and advocacy, she’s benefitted nurses and nurse practitioners by opening doors to new opportunities, helped to reinforce the value of a collaborative health care team to take care of a patient, and increased access for patients to receive high-quality, convenient health care.”
As the chair of the clinical advisory board of the CCA, Ryan was instrumental in the development and implementation of the CCA's ten quality and safety standards for the convenient care industry and has implemented a third-party certification process. As the chair of the provider task force to ensure quality educational offerings for convenient care providers, she helped to orchestrate the first ever Retail Congress Conference to address the educational needs of providers and to foster camaraderie and support for this new model of health care. Ryan has been the recipient of the American College of Nurse Practitioners’ Nancy Sharp Cutting Edge award and the Retail Clinician Congress’ CARE Leadership Award for her contributions to nurse practitioner practice in the convenient care industry.
Ryan has more than 25 years of health care and leadership experience and is a highly decorated U.S. Air Force officer. Ryan earned a B.S.N. in nursing from Niagara University and a M.S.N. from Arizona State University. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and an executive nurse fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
About The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia advances the cause of health while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. The College strives to enable individuals, families and communities to take greater responsibility for their health, improve the health of the public through service to health professionals, enhance appreciation of the heritage of medicine and provide information for the development of health policy.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,786 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.