GOVERNOR BROWN HAS OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT CALIFORNIANS’ HEALTH WITH PHARMACY SAFETY BILL
Sacramento, CA – Pharmacists with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) today applauded the California State Assembly’s bipartisan support of SB 1442 (Wiener), legislation that will protect the public health by strengthening staffing standards in retail pharmacies. SB 1442 now goes to Governor Jerry Brown for his signature on important legislation that prevents dangerously low staffing of retail pharmacies and allows pharmacists to focus on their core responsibility – keeping patients safe.
“Company management policies that force my fellow pharmacists and I to work alone for hours on end are unfair and unsafe,” said Suzanne Bradbury, a registered pharmacist and member of the UFCW Professional Board. “During a typical shift I must fill my patient’s prescription requests, call prescribing physicians, check for drug interactions and allergic reactions, counsel patients, answer questions from patients, and answer phones and staff the cash register. All at the same time. SB 1442’s much needed staffing standards mean I can focus on doing my most important job – keeping my patients safe.”
“In 2013, grappling with a serious shortage of primary care providers, California’s legislators and Governor Brown asked pharmacists to help increase access to health care for underserved Californians, and pharmacists have willingly embraced these opportunities to expand their public service,” said Deliana Speights, Secretary-Treasurer, UFCW Local 1428. “Pharmacists now can help give patients flu shots, aid in the administration of birth control, and provide smoking cessation products. But taking on a bigger role in promoting Californians’ public health requires time and concentration, something these large retail companies’ staffing policies hinder. Pharmacists can’t help people be healthy if their professional judgment is compromised, and license is on the line. I applaud the Assembly’s commitment to protecting public health and California’s pharmacists with their vote on SB 1442 and urge Governor Brown to do the same.”
Joining the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council in support of SB 1442 are the California State Board of Pharmacy, the agency responsible for protecting the health and safety of Californians through pharmacy regulation, the California Labor Federation, and SEIU California.
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August 31, 2018
CONTACT: Mike Roth, 916.444.7170 or [email protected]