Citing an increase in flu cases in New York City, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene today called on Albany to pass a bill allowing pharmacists to give flu and pneumonia shots. The bill, similar to legislation already adopted in 47 states, could increase the number of older New York City residents who get the shots by at least 50,000, officials said.
Legislation to give pharmacists such authority has been stymied for several years in New York State. Some doctors and nurses believe that their exposure to liability might increase if patients who receive flu shots from pharmacists experience side effects or other problems.
Although the Health Department said it was not possible to track individual cases, it described influenza as “now widespread in New York City,” with more than 1,000 flu-related visits to emergency rooms each day. Some 20 percent of the current flu vaccine supply is unused.
“Influenza and pneumonia kill more than 2,000 New Yorkers every year,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the health commissioner. “Many of these deaths are preventable. By expanding access to these vaccines, we will save lives. If our legislators take action on this measure now, we can look forward to less illness and death next year.”
About two-thirds of adults 65 and older in New York State had a flu shot in 2006, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both the state and the city have low vaccination rates compared with other jurisdictions, officials said.
For adults over age 65, New York State currently ranks 39th in the country for flu vaccination and 41st for pneumonia vaccination. However, a 2004 study published in the journal Vaccines showed that adult rates for flu vaccination were as much as 27 percent higher in states that allow pharmacists to immunize compared to those that do not. The same study found that flu vaccination rates among those over age 65 grew at triple the rate in states that have passed this legislation compared to those that have not.
The bill would allow pharmacists to immunize people 18 years and older after certifying completion of a federally approved course, which is now a routine part of pharmacists’ education. Currently, only physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants may administer vaccines in New York State.
“The more places flu shots are available, the more likely people are to get one,” said Dr. Jane R. Zucker, assistant health commissioner for the Bureau of Immunization. “Pharmacies are a natural place to reach those at high risk of hospitalization and death from the disease. People with diabetes and asthma regularly see their pharmacists to refill their prescriptions. If vaccinations were available at the same counter, many more would get them.”
Bills to allow pharmacists to give the vaccines have been sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, Democrat of Scarsdale, and State Senators Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., Republican of Long Island, and Frank Padavan, Republican of Queens. The bills have the support of the American Pharmacists Association, the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Lung Association’s state and city chapters, the New York State Nurses Association, the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State, the Joint Public Affairs Committee for Older Adults and the city chapter of the New York Statewide Senior Action Council.
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