Wonderful.

Good morning.

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

Today is Wednesday, June 17th, 2026.

The time is 1102 a.m.

This is a meeting of the Committee on Health.

I'm at large Councilmember Christina Henderson, chair of the committee.

We've been joined by Councilmember Brianna Doe from Ward 1 and Councilmember Charles Allen from Ward 6.

We have a quorum.

Today we will consider and vote on five board nominations before the committee, four to the Board of Pharmacy, and one to the Health Benefit Exchange Authority Board.

PR, there are lots of PRs.

Uh, I'm gonna move the first four nominations in block, and then we'll move the health benefit exchange authority board solo.

So PR 26-687 nominates Dr.

Allison Hill for a reappointment to the Board of Pharmacy as a pharmacist license in the district for a term to end March 12, 2028.

Dr.

Hill has served on the board since 2020, and she currently serves as its chairperson.

Dr.

Hill serves as the pharmacy manager for CBS Health, where she is responsible for various aspects of pharmacy operations, including consumer health needs, pharmacy intervention or sorry, pharmacy inventory and security.

In addition to her role at CBS Health, Dr.

Hill is an active member of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacies and Kappa Psy Pharmaceutical Fraternity Inc., the DC grad chapter.

She holds a bachelor's of arts and chemistry from North Carolina State University and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Howard University.

She is award seven resident.

PR 26-688 nominates Dr.

Jamila Jordan as a reappointment to the Board of Pharmacy as a pharmacist license in the district.

Licensed uh in the district for a um to fill a vacancy for a remainder of an unexpired term to end on March 12, 2028.

The honorable Dr.

Jewel Redick is an administrative law judge in civil remedies division of the Department of Appeals at the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, as well as a CBS health pharmacist.

He earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from Florida AM University and his jurisdoctorate degree from University of Miami and is award seven resident.

At the hearing, Dr.

Reddick discussed his very unique background in both pharmacy and law, sharing how his discipline interdisciplinary experience enables him to assist other pharmacists in navigating complex regulatory and legal issues.

He expressed concern about the impact of the pharmacy consolidation, particularly underserved communities east of the Anacostia River, where reduced access to pharmacies may result in gaps of care and medication management.

He also expressed interest in expanding the board's role in supporting patient and family education and continuing to address the opioid epidemic where further work remains.

PR 26-690 nominates Dr.

Stephanie Jonakin to the Board of Pharmacy as a pharmacist licensed in the district for a term to end March 12, 2029.

Dr.

Jonagan currently serves as a primary care clinical pharmacist at the Washington, D.C.

Veteran Affairs Medical Center.

Previously, she served as a clinical pharmacist at the Oakland VA outpatient clinic.

She completed her residency with the Federal Bureau of Prisons and is a license to practice pharmacy in Kentucky, California, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Dr.

Jonikan holds a doctoral pharmacy degree from Turo University California and is award six resident.

At the hearing, Dr.

Donikan expressed the importance of increasing public awareness about the full scope of services that pharmacists can provide.

She explained that the pharmacists are often underutilized resources in the health care system and can play a critical role in patient education, disease management, and improving health outcomes.

In particular, she highlighted the need for greater public understanding of how pharmacists can support individuals with chronic conditions such as diabetes, including providing education, offering ongoing support, and assisting patients with tools like Drexcom, continuous glucose monitors.

I'll now open the floor for discussion on these four nominations.

Great.

Hearing none, I now move the draft reports and prints for PR 26-687, 688, 689, and 690 in block with leave for staff to make any technical or conforming changes.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Great.

Let the record reflect that the ayes have it and the measures passed unanimously.

Finally, we'll move to PR 26-691, which nominates Mr.

John Auerbach to the Health Benefit Exchange Authority Executive Board for a term to end July 6, 2030.

Mr.

Auerbach currently serves as a senior vice president of health for ICF International Inc.

as the lead federal health expert.

He has a rich career of over 30 years of experience in public health, in which he has held senior roles at the federal, state, and local levels, including as the public health commissioner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the president and CEO of Trust for America's Health, and in several director roles at the senior the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most recently serving as the Director of Intergovernmental and Strategic Affairs.

He was a Master's of Business Administration with a concentration and health care administration from Boston University and is award three resident.

At the hearing, he discussed his role in helping to enact and implement Massachusetts landmark universal health insurance law and his work at the CDC during the implementation of the ACA, noting that both efforts required policymakers and practitioners to learn and adapt throughout the implementation period.

His lessons learned from those experiences were one, the importance of partnering with community-based organizations to ensure that residents receive accurate information and have their questions answered, and two, to keep processes as simple as possible.

Look forward to his work.

Okay, hearing none, I now move the draft report in print for PR 26-691 in block with leave for staff to make any technical or conforming changes.

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Great.

Let the record reflect that the ayes have it and the measures passed unanimously.

This does conclude our meeting today.

Before we adjourn, I want to note that the committee's next meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 7th.

On that day, the committee will hold a round table on the state of maternal health in the district.

We'll hear from public and government testimonies from both the Department of Health and the Department of Healthcare Health Care Finance.

We have no further business before the committee.

The time is 11 09 a.m.

and this meeting is adjourned.

Thank you all.

Thank you, colleagues.

Thank you.