New York State is losing pharmacists to other states. For better pay, mostly, but also because of New York's stringent regulations that preclude pharmacists from performing tasks that are covered in their certification. They are trained in providing inoculations for influenza and pneumonia, even given a Certificate of Immunization, but they are not allowed to administer the vaccines. Two bills, one before the New York State Assembly and one before the Senate - would remedy this situation - if it passes.
Pressure from physicians' and nurses' groups and arcane statutes have kept pharmacists from offering immunizations to the public. It is time the under-immunized state of New York, ranked 41st in the country in immunizations given, realizes the disservice done to its population through the continuation of this policy.
Thirty-three states have already authorized pharmacists to administer the vaccinations. Among them, according to the American Pharmaceutical Association, are California, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia, all states that resemble New York in population and demographic distribution. There is no legitimate reason for not allowing pharmacists to give vaccinations.
It is much easier to walk into a pharmacy without an appointment to receive an inoculation than it is to do the same at a physician's office, where walk-ins are limited to perhaps one day per week, as is the case at Family Care Physicians, a local office that has walk-in hours on Saturdays only. As it stands, only a doctor or a nurse in a physician's office or a hospital may give vaccinations, creating a veritable monopoly on the procedures. If a third party were given access, prices might be driven down, particularly as far as uninsured patients are concerned.
The next, and perhaps most pressing issue at hand, is that New York State has an aging population, susceptible to the flu and pneumonia, the two vaccinations pharmacists should be allowed to give. There is no reason that the state should not boost the accessibility of inoculations, particularly when those inoculations can save lives.
Opposition to changing this policy can only be seen as self-serving, as pharmacists have all the education and training necessary to provide immunizations. While physicians and nurses would lose some income if they had to share the market with pharmacists, it is more important financially for pharmacists, who do not receive the same income as physicians, to be able to administer vaccinations.
The injection process is not a time-consuming procedure, and for the overworked, underpaid pharmacists of New York, it would be a way to earn extra money without expending extraordinary amounts of time or energy. It would be a positive incentive that would encourage these professionals to stay in New York State. It would also give patients another option for their immunizations.
New York State's legislature owes it to its constituents to pass State Bill A05582 and S2961, allowing pharmacists to provide immunizations for the flu and pneumonia. Ranking 41 out of 50 is not adequate for the people of the third most populated state in the country. Doctors and nurses are not the only professionals qualified to handle this procedure, and pharmacists must be granted this right. The passage of this bill is for the betterment of the community, and the betterment of public health.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
