Infectious diseases have been in the headlines a lot recently. Stories detail enterovirus affecting children in Georgia and across the nation and the measles outbreak in Ohio. Ohio Gov. John Kasich signed an emergency order to allow pharmacists to administer the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to combat that outbreak.
We should reflect on these stories and ask what we can do to safeguard public health and wellness in Georgia.
In the General Assembly, we have introduced legislation that increases inoculations from preventable diseases by allowing licensed pharmacists to administer vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under terms of a physician protocol agreement. This practice is widely accepted and has been adopted in other states. We intend to reintroduce this legislation in January when the 2015 session convenes in hopes of improving Georgians’ health and lowering the cost of their care.
One of the most effective ways to protect public health and promote wellness is to ensure Georgians are protected against preventable diseases. In this pursuit, pharmacists are an underutilized health care resource.
Many areas of Georgia lack access to traditional health care services. Six counties in Georgia lack a family medicine physician, and 31 have no internal medicine physicians. In these areas, pharmacists are often the closest and most accessible health care practitioners. Pharmacists also provide more convenient access to vaccines because they are generally open after traditional work hours and on weekends. Thus, in an era where “house calls” are all but unheard of, many working families and single-parent households need additional access points to properly vaccinate.
Currently, Georgia law permits pharmacists to administer influenza vaccinations to those 13 years old and older. Pharmacists are also permitted to administer immunizations to those 7 years of age and older with prescriptions for pneumonia, Tdap, hepatitis A, hepatitis B or meningitis.
Making it more convenient and accessible for Georgians to receive vaccinations not only improves public health, but saves money. When Georgians visit a doctor or are admitted to a hospital with a vaccine-preventable illness, insurance or social welfare programs cover their cost of care. In either case, we all subsidize that care through higher insurance premiums or tax expenditures. Further, visiting a pharmacist for a vaccine is often covered without any out-of-pocket expense to the policyholder.
Georgia is the undisputed leader in infectious disease research and prevention. To that end, we should also strive to be the leader in inoculations across all populations. By passing our common-sense legislation, we can ensure no one in Georgia contracts a preventable disease because of cost or lack of access to care. We look forward to working with our fellow legislators on this very important issue during the next legislative session.