Sacramento, CA – Pharmacists with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) today applauded Governor Brown’s signature on SB 1442 (Wiener), legislation that will protect the public health by strengthening staffing standards in retail pharmacies. The following statement can be attributed to Seung Oh, a pharmacist, and a member of UFCW Local 135:
“We’re glad Governor Brown saw SB 1442 as important legislation to prevent the dangerously low staffing of retail pharmacies and allow pharmacists to focus on their core responsibility – keeping patients safe. California has been grappling with a serious shortage of primary care providers and pharmacists have stepped up to increase access to health care for underserved Californians by giving patients flu shots, aiding in the administration of birth control, and providing smoking cessation products.
“But taking on a bigger role in promoting Californians’ public health requires time and concentration, something that large retail employers’ staffing policies hinder. When pharmacists work alone, they must simultaneously fill patients’ prescription requests, call prescribing physicians, check for drug interactions and allergic reactions, counsel patients, answer questions, and answer phones and staff the cash register. Governor Brown’s approval of SB 1442 means California’s pharmacists can focus on doing their most important job – keeping patients safe.”
Joining the United Food and Commercial Workers Western States Council in support of SB 1442 were 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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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2018
CONTACT: Mike Roth, 916.444.7170 or [email protected]