UNE pharmacy students advocate for provider status at public hearing in Augusta
In a show of support for two bills designed to expand the role of pharmacists in Maine, students and faculty from the UNE College of Pharmacy traveled to Augusta for a public hearing on March 7, 2017.
The hearing included a discussion of two bills: LD 572 and LD 456. LD 572 would begin the process of updating Maine’s pharmacy laws by amending the definitions of “pharmacist” and “practice of pharmacy.” This bill recognizes the role of pharmacists in today’s healthcare systems, specifying that a pharmacist is an “individual provider of health care services licensed by this State to engage in the practice of pharmacy.” In addition, it defines the practice of pharmacy as the provision of health care services.
LD 456 expands access to vaccination services for teens and preteens by allowing the administration of certain vaccines by a pharmacist to a person 11 years of age and older, instead of 18 years and older as is the current law. To obtain a vaccination, the person would be required to have a valid prescription, treatment protocol or written standing order from an authorized practitioner in Maine.
College of Pharmacy students in attendance included Nick Jalbert (‘17), Jordann Coiley (‘20), Martin Kisang (‘17), Ashley Woon (‘17), Jodi McCaffrey (‘17), Sarah Bond (‘17), Stephanie Villasis (‘18), Jordan Bundy (‘17), and Kyung Rim (‘17). Kenneth McCall, BSPharm, Pharm.D., CGP, associate professor for the Department of Pharmacy Practice; Emily Dornblaser, Pharm.D., M.S., BCPS, assistant professor and critical care specialist in the College of Pharmacy; and Anne Cowles, Applied Exercise Science Class of 2010, M.P.H. '15, U-ExCEL fitness director, also took part in the public hearing.
Pharmacy student Stephanie Villasis described the experience as both insightful and thrilling. “You could see the sea of white coats mixed in with members of the community and others in opposition of the bill. I feel as though hearing the testimonies from pharmacy, medical and nursing fields gave a perspective of what the bill would provide if it were passed.”
“Pharmacists currently provide services such as home visits for medication therapy management, immunizations, blood pressure screenings and more,” Villasis noted. “These bills will greatly enhance the field of pharmacy as they will enable pharmacists to be recognized as health care providers in the state of Maine.”
To learn more about the University of New England’s College of Pharmacy, visit www.une.edu/pharmacy
To apply, visit www.une.edu/admissions