Federal Action to Take

National Health Services Corps offers loan repayment options for trained medical workers to work full time (also an option for part time) in an under served community (an accredited NHSC site). Currently it only has physicians and nurses as being specifically named in the option for this repayment, with pharmacists falling under "other schools of health profession." A bill (S. 48) is currently being considered in the Senate that would change the wording to specifically include pharmacists.

This may not seem like that much, but getting the name pharmacist in there specifically equalizes pharmacy to a valid medical profession as medicine and nursing.

Please take a little time and write your senators so that we can have support in getting this bill to pass.

Passed

Well a good day for Arizona pharmacy today:

SB1298 passed the Senate which allows (1) the pharmacist can modify prescriptions if working in conjunction with either a physician or nurse practitioner (2) the pharmacist to administer influenza vaccines to children 6-17 without a prescription or if a state of health emergency is declared by the state Governor and (3) student interns can administer vaccines if certified and under supervision of certified pharmacists.

Now it just remains to pass the House.

Arizona: List of Bills Involving Pharmacy

Here is a link to Arizona Pharmacy Alliance bi-weekly publication that lists the bills that have been submitted to Arizona Congress in 2011 (pages 3-8).

Of note:

• S1298 allows pharmacists to vaccinate children 6-17 for influenza w/o prescription, 6-17 w/ prescription for other vaccinations, and w/o prescription in response to public health emergency, if passed.
• H2398 makes illegal the sale of salvia divinorum to those under 21.
• Multiple bills regarding changes to AHCCCS, which either tighten coverage or shift payments.
• A number of bills regarding abortion: requiring informed consent and disallowing public funding.
• S1202 expands of what is defined as dangerous drugs to include geometric isomers of already defined dangerous drugs.

Also of note on February 16th, from 3:00-6:00, ADHS will hold a public meeting in Tucson on the draft rules for medical marijuana. It will be at the University of Arizona: James E. Rodgers College of Law, Ares Auditorium on 1201 E. Speedway.