Sacramento, CA – The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council today applauded the California State Senate’s approval of AB 1533 (Committee on Business and Professions), which extends the sunset date for the California State Board of Pharmacy until January 1, 2026 and updates penalties for practices that threaten patient safety. The following statement may be attributed to Todd Walters, President, UFCW Local 135:
“In order to keep patients safe, California needs a strong Board of Pharmacy that can hold corporations accountable for patient harming conduct, but the fine amount they can currently levy is laughable at best. The current maximum fine even for large corporate pharmacies with profits in the billions is $5,000, an amount corporations would often rather pay than change harmful practices like understaffing pharmacies and imposing performance based quotas on pharmacists. It’s upsetting to see time and time again corporations putting profits over patients, but with AB 1533’s updated fine structure and improved enforcement of regulations, we can keep our patients safe. We applaud the Senate for supporting this bill and urge the Governor to do the same.”
# # #
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 2021
Contact: Jenna Thompson, 949.246.1620, [email protected]