Sacramento, CA –National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) President and CEO Steven C. Anderson and the California Retailers Association (CRA) President and CEO Rachel Michelin issued the following statement today:
Pharmacies, pharmacists and pharmacy teams continue to play a critical role in the nation’s COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. Effectively leveraging the existing retail pharmacy network – where every individual lives within 5 miles of a retail store – can swiftly and efficiently accelerate the vaccination of priority populations and those in rural and underserved areas. This includes expanding equitable and convenient access to COVID-19 services – including screening, testing, and vaccinations – to communities and populations in every corner of California.
Unfortunately, retail pharmacies in California are limited in their ability to maximize their staffing resources to provide COVID-19 vaccinations as the state maintains the most restrictive pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratio in the nation. NACDS and CRA strongly urge Governor Newsom to waive California’s statute that arbitrarily restricts to 1:1 the maximum ratio of pharmacy technicians to pharmacists. Further, we urge immediate action to allow pharmacists to work with up to four technicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
