Today NACDS released poll results that back up our urging for the Biden Administration to ensure clarity or to act decisively to keep pharmacy authorities in place for patients after the formal end of the current public health emergency. Please be sure to read and amplify the press release and the results of the poll conducted by Morning Consult March 4-6, which was commissioned by NACDS.
NACDS is urging the extension of pharmacy authorities under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act for the benefit of patient access.
Just before hitting “send” on the release, we added compelling insights from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC’s extremely influential Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report spoke volumes about the essential role of pharmacy access in meeting the needs for children’s and adolescents’ vaccinations.
Especially for the most vulnerable Americans, the CDC article emphasized the critical importance of sustained pharmacy access: “Broad vaccine access should be maintained while critical outreach efforts continue to improve vaccine coverage among children aged 5-11 years, especially in high SVI [social vulnerability index] areas.”
The CDC article mentioned PREP Act authorities specifically: “The expansion of legal authorities for the COVID-19 emergency response to allow pharmacists to vaccinate children and adolescents aged 3-18 years helped increase available providers and vaccine access for children aged 5-11 years. Pharmacy providers were critical in addressing high initial demand for COVID-19 vaccine among this age group, including during evenings, weekends, and over holidays, when other providers might be less available.”
The CDC article aligns well with the and the results of the poll conducted by Morning Consult and commissioned by NACDS.
Among adults, the poll found:
- 70% support extending the pharmacy authorities
- Specifically, 69% support the continuation of policies that allow pharmacists to order and administer all routinely recommended vaccines for those 3 to 18 years old
- 66% support the continuation of policies that allow pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 vaccines to persons 3 years and older
- 57% of adults are even more likely to support the extension of pharmacy authorities when they hear that more than 30% of children ages 5-11 who have received their COVID-19 vaccination have done so at a pharmacy.
- 57% of adults are even more likely to support the extension of pharmacy authorities when they hear that half of pharmacy COVID-19 vaccination sites are located in areas with social vulnerability.
NACDS will continue to press the case for clarity or further action to maintain patients’ access to critical pharmacy services after the public health emergency formally ends. The CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report is among the best evidence yet that this is vitally important for individuals, for families, for communities and for the nation.
