NYSCHP Policies & Procedures

Updated 2/13/2026

General Board Guidelines

These policies apply to all New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) Officers, Board members, members and staff.  Odd numbered policies should be reviewed in odd years and even numbered policies should be reviewed in even years.

1. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools for Virtual Meeting Management
2. NYSCHP Board of Directors Event Alcohol Policy
3. Antitrust Compliance Policies and Procedures
4. Board Liaisons
5. Diversity Statement
6. Logo Use
7. Board of Directors Conflicts of Interest
8. Reimbursement Policy
9. ListServe Policy
10. CE Grievance Policy
11. Credit Cards
12. Policy on Educational Programming Fair Balance
13. Membership Dues Processing
14. Committee on Continuing Competency (CCC) Policy and Procedure
15. Board Member Rooming Policy
16. Email Etiquette
17. Employee Background Checks
18. Faculty Liaisons
19. Internet Use Policy Form
20. New Standards Credit Card Processing
21. ASHP Delegation Policy
22. Sexual Harassment Policy
23. Photo Release
24. Annual Assembly Reimbursement Policy
25. Nominations for Elective Office and Candidate Etiquette
26. Use of Electronic Mailing List

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools for Virtual Meeting Management

When AI tools are used for meeting management or note-taking during Board or committee meetings, members should host meetings on the NYSCHP or Chapter Zoom accounts whenever possible, rather than personal or employer-based platforms. Using employer platforms may introduce privacy, ownership, and data security risks related to AI-generated recordings and transcripts.

All members should be aware of the potential risks associated with AI note-taking tools and to follow approved council platforms to help minimize risk and exposure.

Board of Directors Event Alcohol Policy  

The New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) will not allocate funds towards the consumption of alcohol at NYSCHP Board of Director events.

Antitrust Compliance Policies and Procedures

The New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) adheres to  all Federal and State Antitrust laws, rules and regulations.  Generally, it is unlawful to restrain trade through any number of methods as individual entities or through concerted activities. The following policies and procedures have been initiated to ensure compliance:
 
I. These policies and procedures will apply to any and all activities of NYSCHP and its members who represent it, including NYSCHP board officers, directors, and committee members.  

II.  Any and all discussions of prices or pricing levels are prohibited.  The following discussion are not permitted:
a. Cost of operation, supplies, labor or services;
b. Discounts;
c. Any conditions or terms of sale including credit arrangements;
d. Profit margins and mark ups, provided this restriction shall not extend to discussions of methods of operation, maintenance and similar matters in which cost or efficiency is merely incidental.

III. It is a violation of Antitrust laws to agree to not compete, therefore discussions of divisions of territories or customers or limitations on the type of business being conducted or the type of products being sold are not permitted.

IV. Boycotts in any form are not permitted and are unlawful.  Any and all discussions about blacklisting or unfavorable reports about particular companies or individuals including their finances are prohibited.

V. In the event that a representative of NYSCHP attends a meeting where discussion borders on an area of antitrust sensitivity, the NYSCHP representative must make a request that the discussion be stopped and that the minutes of the meeting reflect that
said request was made by the NYSCHP representative.  If the discussion is not concluded, then the NYSCHP representative must excuse themselves from the meeting and a request that the minutes reflect that the NYSCHP representative excused themselves and why they left the meeting.  In the event this occurs, the NYSCHP representative should promptly report this occurrence to the NYSCHP President and the Executive Director.

VI. Each NYSCHP officer, director, committee member, employee or official representative of NYSCHP will receive a copy of NYSCHP’s Antitrust Compliance Policy and Procedure annually.  Each member of the NYSCHP Board of Directors will annually approve and sign the anti trust policy.

NYSCHP Board Liaisons

The NYSCHP Local Chapter Liaison should, as applicable:

1. Communicate relevant NYSCHP BOD information to the chapter board.
2. Communicate relevant chapter information to the NYSCHP Board President and/or relevant Board Member.
3. Discuss chapter related business and concerns with chapter board members.
4. Discuss membership concerns and accomplishments at the state level and the chapter level.
5. Discuss financial issues of the chapter.
6. Discuss financial issues of NYSCHP.
7. Assist in recruitment of chapter board positions.
8. Share ASHP issues and concerns.
9. Promote services provided by NYSCP to the chapter.

• Attend meeting and communicate board information to the chapter. 
• Swear in officers to the chapter board.
• Act as a conduit between NYSCHP and the local chapter.
• Update the chapter on ASHP, NYSCHP, pharmacy practice and state board issues.
• Advise the chapter of future NYSCHP events.
• Two tier structure:  If primary liaison cannot attend, secondary liaison should attend if possible.

NYSCHP Diversity Statement

The New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) promotes the involvement in and access to leadership opportunities in NYSCHP to all members regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, nationality or disability.  NYSCHP welcomes diversity on the board, staff and membership and will provide leadership and resources to advance and ensure diversity.

NYSCHP Logo Use

Use of NYSCHP Logos, Name, and Branded Resources      

The New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) distinctive logo, affiliate logo, name, and branded resources are the property of NYSCHP.  The branded resources are located on the website at https://www.nyschp.org/nyschp-logos-graphics-and-templates.  

Use of these resources are a unique benefit of membership in NYSCHP.  The NYSCHP logo is used to promote the association. The logo and any and all marks associated with the logo and NYSCHP name are the property of NYSCHP and are trademarks and  protected by State and Federal laws.  Use of the logo, affiliate logos, branded resources, and NYSCHP’s name is contingent upon the following licensing provisions:

1. Members of the Board of Directors, and chairs of official committees may use the logos and branded resources
2. Members mustnot use the logo to state or imply that NYSCHP has endorsed their company or their company’s product or services;
3. Members must  not to place the NYSCHP logo on their products or in literature or documentation association with their services;
4. Members will indemnify or hold harmless NYSCHP for any damages, including attorney’s fees, incurred by the members unauthorized use of the logo;
5. Members must  cease and desist from using NYSCHP’s logo upon request of the Board of Directors of NYSCHP or the Executive Director of NYSCHP;
6. Members must pay NYSCHP all costs and attorney’s fees incurred by NYSCHP in any action against a member to enforce the terms of the license agreement;
7. Any and all use of the NYSCHP logo, name, and branded resources external to the organization should be cleared by the NYSCHP Council office by email or phone prior to use.    
8. Chapters wishing to utilize the Council’s official affiliate logo on their website and/or stationary may do so without additional permissions, under the same constraints described above.

NYSCHP Board of Directors Conflicts of Interests

New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacist (NYSCHP) is a nonstock corporation governed by New York General Corporate Law.  The New York State statute addresses the legal expectations placed on Boards of Directors. For more information on this policy, follow the links below.

• Policy on Board of Directors Outside Interests
• Disclosure Form of Outside Interests
• Confidential Nondisclosure

Reimbursement Policy

All reimbursement forms must be approved by the Executive Director or their council office appointee.  If the Executive Director or their appointee is unavailable then the President, President Elect, Immediate Past President, or Treasurer shall review and authorize the reimbursement, if applicable

List Serve Policy

NYSCHP list serves provide an important membership benefit. NYSCHP list serves are intended to promote education and networking of its members and to provide valuable communication among the various members of each list serv. List serves are intended to assist NYSCHP meet the evolving needs of its members and to help fulfill a growing need for providing targeted services to groups of members with similar interests.

The e‐mail lists are designed to facilitate communications between members of a group through the use of e‐mail. Any message sent to the e‐mail list address will be sent to all members of the group. This is useful for asking a large number of people for information about a topic or informing them of news or events. Simply send an e‐mail to the e‐mail list, and everyone who subscribes to the list will receive it. You may also send attachments to the list serve as deemed appropriate to the subject.

The content and/or views expressed in any e‐mail list are not necessarily those of NYSCHP, and NYSCHP makes no warranties or representations regarding the accuracy of the content and accepts no responsibility for the views expressed. All of the content or views in the e‐mail list have been prepared by and are those of the individual(s) who have developed the content or views.

To manage your email subscription to any list serve, please contact the Director of Communications for NYSCHP. His or her email address can be found on the NYSCHP website. www.nyschp.org, About Us/Board of Directors. This director position will act as the list administrator and may add/delete members as deemed appropriate by the BOD and the Executive Director.

Rules and Etiquette when posting:

1. Include a signature on all messages. The signature should include your name, affiliation, phone number and location.
2. When you receive a message directed to the list, selecting the “Reply” button will send an email to the entire list serve. To send a reply to only the original author, you must type in the individuals email address separately.
3. If you receive an unwanted message from a list member who doesn’t observe the rules above,
please do not respond to the list. Instead, ignore the message or, if you feel the need to respond to the sender, make certain you reply only to the sender.
4. Job postings or career opportunities must be placed through our Career Center and not the list serves. Please refer to www.nyschp.org for further information.
5. Everyone needs to be aware of and follow the rules and regulations imposed by your employer with regard to any and all postings on through the list serve.

Continuing Education Grievance Policy

All grievances regarding any aspect of the continuing education courses offered by the New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) shall be brought to the attention of the Program Administrator for the NYSCHP, the Director of Education and Workforce Development and the Program Coordinator, if one exists.  Every attempt will be made to satisfy the complainant.  Measures shall be taken to correct any deficiencies that may be uncovered.The grievance process shall be an Appeal assuring due process for all complainants.  The

Credit Card Policy

All monthly credit card statements are to be delivered to the Executive Director of the New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists.  The Executive Director will review the credit card statement with all receipts and will note any unusual charges reflected on the credit card statement.  Any and all unusual charges will be investigated immediately by the Executive Director and Finance Committee in coordination with the Treasurer. 

Credit Card Use Approval

All New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists purchases on a New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists’ issued credit card must be approved by the Executive Director prior to purchase.  If the Executive Director is not available, the President or Treasurer shall be authorized to grant said approval.  Said approval shall be documented and subject to review by the Executive Director upon the Executive Director’s return or Finance Committee. 

NYSCHP Policy on Educational Programming Fair Balance

All educational programs at NYSCHP sponsored events, whether as sole provider or cosponsor, shall exhibit fair content balance, providing the audience with information of multiple perspectives from which to form a professional opinion.  NYSCHP will conduct the program independent of any sponsorship, including the program planning, content and execution.  The program will be free of commercial bias for or against any product.  Brand names of all products included in the content may be mentioned for identification purposes only.  Meaningful disclosure will be made of sponsorship at each program.Presenters in NYSCHP sponsored educational programs will acknowledge and disclose any affiliation and such information will be made available to the audience. This disclosure will be made in a form provided by NYSCHP and kept on file by NYSCHP. 

Member Dues Processing

Upon receipt of membership dues, all checks shall be stamped “For Deposit Only.”  The employee opening the mail shall not have access to member accounts.  All deposits shall be made into the software database and duly deposited at the bank on a regular basis.  The deposit receipt from the bank shall be reviewed and reconciled by the Executive Director.

Board Member Rooming Policy

Effective March 25, 2009, all Board members will be required to pay the difference in cost between the cost of a single room and the cost of a double room for all board meetings.  The President and President Elect will be exempt from this policy for the Annual meeting.

Email Etiquette Policy

1.  Be careful of email content, it is discoverable in a court of law. Emails written at work are the property of the company that you work for.  These emails can be retrieved and examined even if deleted.  Email can be easily forwarded and inadvertently sent to unintended audiences.  Always be professional.  Do not put into print anything that may embarrass you or others.
2.  Be informal but professional.Follow standard protocol, using traditional spelling, grammar and punctuation avoiding abbreviations.  
3.  Keep messages brief and concise. Avoid too many topics in each email.  The longer the email the less likely someone will read the email to the end.
4.  Use appropriate sentence case.Using all capital letters has the appearance that someone is angry and shouting at the recipients. Using all lowercase letters looks lazy and unprofessional. If you need to emphasize words, use asterisks or bold formatting.  Color and graphics is not a consistent format to use because computer software is not consistent as to how it is displayed.
5.  Use the blind copy (BCC) and courtesy copy (CC) appropriately.Be careful when you use BCC.  If you need to hide a recipient then maybe you should not put the email in writing in the first place.  BCC can be used to hide email addresses from group distributions if necessary.  Don't use BCC to keep others from seeing who you copied; it shows confidence when you directly CC anyone receiving a copy. When using CCs only include those people that are necessary to the distribution of the information in the email.
6.  Email should not replace verbal communication.If the content of the conversation is heated or argumentative it may be best to communicate verbally instead of in writing.
7.  For group email, use the reply to all button where appropriate. When scheduling meetings or conference calls there is no need to reply to all when the party that sent
the email is the one responsible for scheduling the event.  Generic responses also do not need to be sent to all in the group email.  If the email requests a response to a topic of discussion then reply to all is appropriate.
8.  Indicate the subject of your email on your email in concise terms.When necessary include the word “Long” in the subject field to indicate that the email is a lengthy email.
9.  Avoid sending chain letters, virus warnings, or junk mail.This may be against your company’s policy.  If a constant stream of jokes from a friend annoys you, be honest and ask to be removed from the list. Direct personal e-mail to your home e-mail account.
10. Remember that your tone can't be heard in e-mail.Sarcasm in an e-mail is not an effective way of communicating as verbal nuances are not usually conveyed adequately.  E-mail communication can't convey the nuances of verbal communication. Remember to respond professionally.
11. Include your contact information with your signature on all emails.Contact information is important for future communication.  Include your title, mailing address, phone
number, fax number, and website address.
12. Avoid email message strings Attempt to limit email responses so there is not a long string of emails going back and forth.  If forwarding emails do not change the words used by the sender.
13. Summarize long discussions.Summarize or highlight relevant information in long emails.

Employee Background Check Policy

The policy of the New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists (NYSCHP) is to perform formal background checks on all new employees of NYSCHP.  The background will include but not be limited to past employment, credit worthiness and criminal history.

New Standards Credit Card Processing

NYSCHP PCI DSS Compliance Policy
The following is a policy to ensure PCI DSS compliance at the NYSCHP based on the guidelines and recommendations provided by the PCI Security Standards Council.

Goals:
1. Remove Sensitive authentication data and limit data retention.
  a.Destroy media containing cardholder data when it is not longer needed for business or legal reasons:
     i.Shred, incinerate, or pulp hardcopy materials so that cardholder data cannot be reconstructed
     ii.Render cardholder data on electronic media unrecoverable so that cardholder data cannot be reconstructed
  b.Install personal firewall software on any mobile and/or employee owned computers with direct connectivity to the internet which are used to access the organization’s network
2. Protect the perimeter, internal, and wireless networks.
  a.Do not use vendor supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters
  b.For wireless connected to the cardholder data environment or transmitting cardholder data—change wireless vendor defaults and encryption
  c.Regularly test security systems and processes
3.Secure payment card applications.
  a.Use and regularly update anti-virus software or programs
     i.Ensure that all anti-virus programs are capable of detecting, removing, and protecting against all known types of malicious software
     ii.Ensure that all anti-virus mechanisms are currently, actively running and capable of generating audit logs
  b.Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
     i.Ensure that all system components and software have the latest vendor-supplied security patches installed
  c.Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know
     i.Restriction of access rights to privileged user IDs to least privileges necessary to perform job responsibilities
     ii.Assign privileges based on individual personnel’s job classification and function
4.Monitor and control access to your systems.
  a.Assign a unique user ID to each person with computer access
  b.Change user password every 90 days at least
  c.Use passwords that contain at least 7 characters and contain numeric and alphabetic characters
  d.Do not use passwords that are the same as the previous 4 passwords
5.Protect cardholder data.
  a.Keep data storage to a minimum
  b.Do not store sensitive authentication data after authorization even if encrypted
  c.Do not store the full contents of any track from the magnetic stripe
  d.Do not store the card-verification code or value (3-digit or 4-digit number printed on the back or front of the payment card)
  e.Do not store the personal identification number (PIN) or the encrypted PIN block
  f.Render PAN unreadable anywhere it is stored including on portable digital media, backup media, and in logs of any kind
  g.Protect cryptographic keys used for encryption of cardholder data against disclosure and misuse
  h.Restrict access to cryptographic keys to the fewest number of custodians necessary
  i.Perform periodic key changes (at least annually)
  j.Data retention and storage policy
  k.Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks
     i.For current wireless implementations, it is prohibited to use WEP after June 30, 2010
  l.Never send unencrypted PANs by end-user messaging technologies (email, instant messaging, chat)
6.Finalize remaining compliance efforts, and ensure controls are in place.
  a.Maintain policy for information security with employees and contractors
     i.Be familiar with PCI DSS requirements (see publications online)
     ii.Identify threats and vulnerabilities at least annually
     iii.Review of systems at least once and year and when the environment changes
     iv.Daily operational security procedures
     v.Explicit management approval for use of technologies
     vi.List of devices and personnel with access
     vii.Acceptable network locations for the technologies
     viii.When accessing cardholder data, via remote access technologies, movement, storage and copying of cardholder data on local hard drives and removable electronic media is prohibited.
     ix.Assign to an individual or team
  b.If cardholder data is shared with service providers, maintain and implement policies and procedures to manage service providers, including the following:
     i.Maintain list of service providers
     ii.Maintain a written agreement that includes an acknowledgement that the service providers are responsible for the security of cardholder data the service provider possesses
     iii.Ensure there is an established process for engaging service providers including proper due diligence prior to engagement
     iv.Maintain a program to monitor service providers PCI DSS compliance status
  c.Incident Response plan
     i.Roles, responsibilities, and communication and contact strategies in the event of a compromise
          1.Specific incident response procedures
          2.Business recovery and continuity procedures
          3.Data backup process
          4.Analysis of legal requirements for reporting compromises
          5.Coverage and responses of all critical system components
          6.Reference or inclusion of incident response procedures from the payment brands

Requirements of PCI Compliance
1.Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data
2.Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters
3.Protect stored cardholder data
4.Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks
5.Use and regularly update anti-virus software
6.Develop and maintain secure systems and applications
7.Restrict access to cardholder data by businesses need-to-know
8.Assign a unique user ID to each person with computer access
9.Restrict physical access to cardholder data
10.Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data
11.Regularly test security systems and processes
12.Maintain a policy that addresses security 

ASHP Delegation Policy

The NYSCHP President and President Elect will be standing delegates to the NYS Delegation for the ASHP House of Delegates. All delegate positions are elected via ballot

Annual Assembly Reimbursement Policy

Annual Assembly Committee members will receive a complimentary registration to the NYSCHP Annual Assembly (not including registration to certificate programs).  Annual Assembly Committee members  will also receive compensation for lodging from Thursday through Sunday (for up to 3 nights) for a standard room.  Reimbursement for upgraded accommodations that are required due to a delay in online registration for the hotel will not be guaranteed and any extra cost incurred will be the responsibility of the registrant/committee member.  Single occupancy or other upgrades can be requested, but charges, which exceed the double room lodge rate, will be at the requestor’s expense.  Members are responsible for any incidental charges, such as phone calls, bar tabs, etc.  Please be advised that you will be responsible for the Modified Meal Plan charge for any additional occupants of your room.  The Executive Director or their council office appointee has authority to make determinations on Annual Assembly accommodations issues not addressed in this policy while the Annual Assembly is underway.

If traveling to the meeting by car, the Committee member  will be reimbursed after the meeting at the current IRS rate per mile for the meeting related mileage.  However, the total amount reimbursed cannot exceed round-trip coach airfare.  Also take into consideration that if travel is conducted by multiple means, i.e., train and car, the cost cannot exceed the cost of round-trip coach airfare.  Arrangements for air travel, train or car rental must be approved in advance.

Reimbursement will be paid for ground transportation as specified, parking and tolls.  A reimbursement form can be obtained from the Council office or at www.nyschp.org. 

Nominations for Elective Office and Candidate Etiquette

According to the NYSCHP Constitution and Bylaws, an election for Officers and Directors shall be conducted on a yearly basis to fill any and all vacancies of terms of office.  The Committee on Nominations shall present a slate of candidates to the NYSCHP House of Delegates for approval by the NYSCHP House of Delegates.  Following said approval by the NYSCHP House of Delegates, the voting membership of NYSCHP will have the opportunity to cast their vote in an electronic voting process.       

Once the slate of candidates is adopted by the House of Delegates , the candidates for office must refrain from activities that could be construed to be self-promotional, campaigning, or politicking, whether it be in print or through the use of electronic media including social media or actual statements by the candidate.  Third parties are also discouraged from engaging in candidate promotion, campaigning on behalf of the candidate, and politicking on behalf of the candidate.  Any communication from a third party or the candidate themselves should include all candidates on the ballot without any individual candidate promotion.  NYSCHP is a professional organization and all candidates are expected to represent NYSCHP in a professional manner and are expected to refrain from engaging in activities that could be construed to discredit the organization.

Use of Electronic Mailing List

The mailing list of members of the New York State Council of Health-system Pharmacists, Inc. (hereinafter “Council”) is confidential and proprietary information and will only be disclosed in accordance with the following rules:

1. All requests for copies of the Council’s mailing list must be made in writing to the Executive Director at the Council headquarters.
2. Such written request must contain the purpose or purposes for which the mailing list will be used.  The Council expressly reserves the right to deny access to the mailing list for any improper or illegal purpose.
3. The Executive Director will evaluate all written requests for access to the mailing list, giving priority to any requests from members of the Council.
4. The Council Board of Directors will set from time to time the fee(s) for disclosure of the Council’s mailing list.  All fees are payable in advance of disclosure, and may vary depending on the medium requested (e.g., labels, computer printout or computer diskette) and the membership status of the applicant.

Misuse of the mailing list may result in penalties, including loss of membership in the Council and potential legal action.