Board begins drafting 2027–31 strategic plan, debates mission wording, values and compliance goals

The California State Board of Pharmacy opened a two‑day meeting June 24 in Sacramento to begin drafting its 2027–2031 strategic plan, focusing discussion on mission wording, core values, and goal areas such as licensing modernization, inspection practices, and compliance.

Facilitators Sarah Ronnie and Trisha Sinclair of DCA’s Solid planning unit led the session and walked members through the environmental scan used to shape the plan. Ronnie summarized how DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility) considerations were incorporated into stakeholder outreach and asked members to prioritize three to six objectives per goal area.

President S O framed the board’s work as consumer protection, reminding members that “the protection of the public shall be paramount.” The group debated a suggested mission that shifts language away from the term “pharmaceuticals” toward a broader formulation. One draft the facilitators captured reads: “protect, promote and advocate for the health and safety of all Californians by enhancing access to quality care through education…” Board members discussed whether to include explicit references to pharmacists, pharmacy personnel, or pharmacy services and left final wording for later refinement.

Members also discussed adding DEIA among stated values and debated whether to list “public protection” as a separate value or reserve it for the mission. Several members noted values describe how the board carries out its mission (for example, compassion, integrity, responsiveness and transparency) while public protection describes what the board does.

On priorities, the board reviewed goal‑area proposals captured by staff. Under Licensing, members emphasized business modernization and customer experience improvements — including updating an aging licensing system — and recommended the plan address slow processing times and barriers to licensure in underserved areas. For Compliance, the board favored renaming the committee focus from “Enforcement” to “Compliance” to emphasize support and standards rather than a punitive approach. Chief enforcement staff explained the distinction between routine, standardized inspections and investigatory visits, noting some limits on transparency during active investigations.

Members requested the strategic plan include work on a sustainable standard‑of‑care approach, pharmacist‑in‑charge (PIC) responsibilities and training, and measures to reduce medication errors. Several speakers urged the board to limit objectives to a manageable number so staff can implement the plan given resource constraints.

Facilitators recorded the group’s intent to refine wording and bring a more polished draft back to members for further review; committees will flesh out action plans and staff will return with possible implementation steps.

What’s next: the board will convert the priorities captured in the session into formal objectives and assign them to committees for action planning and monitoring.