Pharmacists want to stick it to you

Eric Durr The Business Review

New York's flu immunization effort needs a shot in the arm.

In 1999, New York was 41st out of 50 states when it came to flu immunization rates.

New York's 9,000 retail pharmacists could help change those numbers, but a "turf war" with the state's doctors and nurses keeps that from happening, said Craig Burridge, executive director of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York.

In 36 other states, pharmacists administer injections. In New York, they can't.

New York's 4,000 drugstores, the health care location people visit most frequently, can't provide immunizations when flu season hits, Burridge said.


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Flu can be deadly. Flu kills 30,000 to 60,000 Americans annually and is the sixth largest killer of Americans. It's the fifth largest cause of senior citizen deaths.

For seven years, the pharmacists society worked quietly to change New York law. But the Medical Society of the State of New York and the New York State Nurses Association oppose even pilot programs, and key lawmakers are blocking the bills (Senate 3657/Assembly 6971). Burridge said his organization decided to go public with their fight.

Allowing pharmacists to give flu shots makes sense, Burridge said. People go to a drugstore more often than they go to a doctor's office. Pharmacies are easier to get access to, and people trust their pharmacists.

Pharmacies already host flu shot clinics, at which hired nurses administer shots. At the Medicare reimbursement rate of $5.75 per shot, or the normal $12 to $15 charge for non-Medicaid patients, this is a public service, not a moneymaker, Burridge said.

Finally, many people in minority and immigrant communities distrust government clinics and doctors. This makes them less likely to get their shots, he said.

Giving shots would be "a natural extension of our service," said John McDonald, vice president of Marra's Pharmacy in Cohoes and mayor of the city. "We are now taking blood pressures. We are helping out with blood glucose testing. We can do more."

But as far as New York's doctors and nurses are concerned, it's thanks but no thanks because pharmacists aren't properly trained.

"Vaccinations can cause severe reactions which require immediate attention from a trained medical professional, and it is our belief that a pharmacist is not adequately educated, nor are their locations properly equipped to handle such emergencies," said Dr. Ann Cea, president of the medical society.

"In the interests of public safety, we strongly oppose any measures which would extend vaccine administration rights to pharmacists," she said.

"We don't see any need for this, to allow people who are not really educated to do this when there is no need," said Anne Schott, spokeswoman for the nurses association.

To the pharmacists, issues being raised by the doctors and nurses are a smoke screen for the real one.

"This is a political turf war between the nurses, the doctors and the pharmacists," Burridge said. "It seems to be a challenge over who does what."

Jean Schreck, an assistant professor of pharmacy at Albany College of Pharmacy, said the argument that pharmacists don't have the right training doesn't hold up. The Albany College of Pharmacy spends 48 hours teaching students about injections, potential adverse reactions and how to inject each other.

"When we are done with this course, the pharmacists have more practice and experience in giving adults vaccines than a new RN does," Schreck said.

Macary Weck, a Price Chopper pharmacist, gave injections while working in Virginia.

She passed a training program approved by the Centers of Disease Control. Weck said she and the other pharmacists studied allergic reactions to vaccines and how to recognize and treat the one in a million patient that has one. They also are required to counsel patients on what to do if they have an adverse reaction after they've gone home, she added.

So far, though, the pharmacists' arguments have fallen on deaf ears in the Legislature.

State Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson), the chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, has reservations about the plan, although he has been open to the idea of a pilot project.

The pharmacists have modified their bill over the years to meet LaValle's concerns. Originally they wanted to give a much wider range of shots.

"This issue requires a great deal of consideration to ensure an educated decision that will serve the best interests of all concerned," LaValle said.

Assemblyman Edward Sullivan (D-Manhattan), LaValle's Assembly counterpart, was more blunt in his assessment of the pharmacists' proposed legislation—he hates it. Sullivan retires at the end of the year.

"Sometimes requiring a professional to do things does seem silly. But in this case, it doesn't seem silly," Sullivan said. "Why can't they hire a nurse to give the shots? That's what they do."

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ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.

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Pharmacists want to stick it to you

Pharmacists want to stick it to you