PRESS RELEASES
Monday, September 15, 2008
Governor Signs Paulin’s Legislation Allowing Pharmacists to Administer Flu and Pneumonia Vaccines
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale) announced Governor Paterson’s signing of her landmark legislation allowing licensed pharmacists to administer flu and pneumonia vaccines to adults throughout New York State. New York had been one of only two states that did not allow trained pharmacists to administer such vaccinations.
“New York has one of the lowest immunization rates in the country,” Assemblywoman Paulin said, noting that each year, between 5,000 and 7,500 New Yorkers die from vaccine-preventable diseases, and more than 75,000 are treated in hospitals for flu-like symptoms. “Allowing pharmacists to administer vaccines will make healthcare more accessible for all New Yorkers,” Paulin added.
Westchester County Health Commissioner Joshua Lipsman states that “this excellent new law allows people to get conveniently vaccinated against two major killers—flu and pneumonia—during a routine trip to the drugstore.” For example, at risk populations such as the chronically ill, who see their pharmacists regularly to refill their prescriptions, will now have numerous opportunities to receive vital flu and pneumonia vaccines . As Ray Macioci, an independent pharmacy owner and board member of the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York notes, “this is not a law about pharmacists but about public health because it provides New York State with an opportunity to make vaccines more accessible to everyone at a time when vaccination rates are well below what they should be.”
Overall, people aged 18 to 64 are 27 percent more likely to be vaccinated and those over 65 are 22 percent more likely to be vaccinated in states that allow pharmacists to immunize than in those that do not . One New York senior, Steve Golden, was clearly grateful for the signing of this legislation, stating; “Usually I have to wait two hours in my doctor’s office every year to receive my flu vaccine. Now I won’t have to.”
To become certified immunizers, pharmacists would be required to complete a course, regulated by the New York State Education Department, developed specifically for pharmacists. Assemblywoman Paulin’s legislation is supported by the American Lung Association of New York and the New York State Association of County Health Officials (NYSACHO), among many others. NYSACHO President Dr. Patsy Young said her organization "applauds the Legislature and the Governor for enacting this law, which we believe will help to significantly improve the rates of influenza and pnemococcal vaccination among New Yorkers."
“I would like to thank the Governor for signing this legislation, which we strongly believe will prevent disease and save lives” said Paulin.