Most would agree that improving health care outcomes and increasing the efficient use of health care resources is a critical matter for all Georgians. Through our work in the General Assembly, we have some ability to effect changes that serve both purposes.
Adults across the state soon will have greater access to recommended immunizations, reducing their risk of contracting preventable illnesses. Beginning July 1, they will be able to receive vaccines to protect themselves against shingles, pneumonia and meningitis the same way they can access the influenza vaccine today: directly from their pharmacists, without a prescription. This is especially important to those living in rural areas where there are too few health care providers and, therefore, limited access to wellness treatment.
Improving access to vaccines is good public policy. Six counties in our state lack a family physician, and 31 are without an internist. In these areas, pharmacists are often the closest and most accessible health care practitioners. For that reason, pharmacists are trusted members of our community fabric and our health care delivery system. We often call them by name, and they have provided comfort to generations of our families. Physicians trust pharmacists, too. The increased access afforded by this new law is done under a “protocol” agreement between a Georgia physician and a Georgia pharmacist.
Take note of this startling statistic: Georgia has the 12th-highest death rate in the nation from influenza and pneumonia. Meanwhile, 93 percent of Americans live within five miles of a community pharmacist, and more than 1,400 community pharmacies operate right here in Georgia. Not only are these pharmacies often nearby, but their hours of operation make them accessible places to the health care system. Most community pharmacists are available before and after traditional work hours as well as on weekends. Simply increasing accessibility to vaccines through pharmacies should dramatically improve inoculation rates across all socio-economic groups.
Increasing the state’s inoculation rate is also sound fiscal policy. When Georgians visit a doctor or are admitted to a hospital with a vaccine-preventable illness, their cost of care far exceeds the cost of a routine vaccination. Ultimately, we all subsidize that care through higher insurance premiums or tax expenditures. Any savings realized by the increased efficiency of our delivery system and preventive measures can be returned to Georgians and/or utilized to address the myriad other health issues facing our state, such as the dire status of our rural hospitals.
We are thankful to our colleagues in the General Assembly for acknowledging the important role vaccines play in community health, and we will continue working with them to address Georgia’s broader health care concerns.
About the Author
