Pharmacists Push to Protect Patients and Public Health
The California Board of Pharmacy adopted regulations that reinforce standards set out by SB 1442 (Wiener), the No Pharmacist Left Alone Law.
These new regulations couldn’t have happened without our member pharmacists’ witness and testimony, grassroots advocacy, and tireless dedication to their patients that inspired the bill and fueled the drive to implement it and enforce it.
Our member pharmacists have stood out, going above and beyond their normal duties to ensure their public health role is not compromised by short staffing, especially during the COVID-19 public health crisis.
These first in the nation regulations will help protect patients by requiring stores to make a designated, qualified staff member available to help pharmacists at the pharmacists’ request.
SB 1442 was signed into law in 2018 in response to chronic understaffing of retail pharmacies that often led pharmacists to work alone for hours on end, compromising patient safety.
“Our highly trained pharmacists are crucial to assuring access to health care for many Californians,” said Andrea Zinder, president, UFCW Western States Council and UFCW Local 324. “During this public health crisis they have stood out, going above and beyond their normal duties to ensure their public health role is not compromised by short staffing. We applaud the Board of Pharmacy, their legal staff, the Department of Consumer Affairs, Senator Scott Wiener, Governor Gavin Newsom and his staff, and our many pharmacist members whose powerful witness and testimony, grass roots advocacy, and tireless dedication to their patients inspired the bill and fueled the drive to implement it.”
