Governor Gregoire would like us all to contact the Pharmacy Board

[eridani]

Thank you for contacting Governor Gregoire with your concerns about the rules requiring pharmacies to dispense legally-prescribed medications.

The Governor is not in agreement with the state Board of Pharmacy's (the Board) recent decision to reopen this issue. She believed that the Board conducted a thorough rulemaking process in 2006 which ensured access to legally-prescribed drugs for our state's citizens, particularly those who are low-income and who live in rural communities.

The Governor is committed to maintaining access for all individuals and will voice her opinion to the Board on this issue. She believes this new rulemaking process should include relevant public input as well as full and thoughtful consideration by the Board that ultimately maintains or improves the access of the current rules. I encourage you to contact the Board to express your concerns about this matter. The Board's mailing address is:


Board of Pharmacy
Washington State Department of Health
P.O. Box 47852
Olympia, WA 98504-7852

Their contact phone number is [phone]. If you have Internet access, go to [e-mail] to leave an e-mail comment. You can also register your name at http://listserv.wa.gov/cgi-bin/wa?A0=WSBOP-MEDICATION-ACCESS-RULES where your name and contact information will be added to a distribution list for automatic updates on this issue.

Thank you again for contacting Governor Gregoire. She appreciates hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Melody Younglove
Constituent/Management Services Manager
Office of Governor Christine O. Gregoire

[eridani]

1. Go to Pharmacy Board meetings in Kent (9/17 & 9/29) if you can

The Washington Board of Pharmacy has issued an official notice that they intend to draft a new pharmacy rule, and no longer require pharmacies to provide the medications you need, including emergency contraception, without hassle, delay or judgment.

As you know, the rules that we worked we so hard to pass in 2007 that require pharmacies to fill patients' prescriptions on site and on time, regardless of an individual pharmacist's personal beliefs, have been challenged in court by anti-choice activists. That case has been put on hold because the state sided with the anti-choice plaintiffs and filed a motion to delay the trial to give the Pharmacy Board time to change the rules in question and allow pharmacists to refuse to fill a prescription and refer patients elsewhere.

Do not let the Pharmacy Board backtrack on its support for patient access. Here are two important ways you can speak out and protect our strong pharmacy access rules:

Contact the Board of Pharmacy and urge them to keep the current rules in place. These rules protect patient heath by making sure that all Washingtonians can access the medications they need, when they need them. This message will also go to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has been a strong supporter of the existing rules, thanking her for her advocacy and asking her to work with the Pharmacy Board to continue to protect access to medications.

http://www.prochoicewashington.org/getinvolved/alerts/201008041.shtml

Sign up to join us at one or both of the Pharmacy Board meetings on September 17 in Renton and September 29 in Kent. (meeting details below) alisonmondi {at} prochoicewashington.org

We need as strong a showing as possible at these meetings to make sure the Pharmacy Board knows that it is not acceptable for sexual assault survivors, people who have disabilities or people who live in rural areas to be told they have to travel 40, 50 or even 60 miles to get the medications they need.

Your access to health care should not be based on whether a pharmacist thinks the medication your doctor prescribes is right or wrong!

Thank you in advance for your support. We'll keep you updated on all the ways you can get involved and protect all Washingtonians' access to health care.

~Alison Mondi, Public Policy Director
alisonmondi {at} prochoicewashington.org

Pharmacy Board Meetings:

Friday, September 17, 2010
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Blackriver Training and Conference Center
800 Oakesdale Ave SW
Renton, WA 98057

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
CenterPoint Commons - Conference Center
20809 72nd Avenue South
Kent, Washington 98032

RSVP to Alison Mondi if you can attend one or both of these meetings. Thank you! Questions? Call [phone].

[eridani]

2. Good turnout on 9/17--let's do it again on 9/29

Thank you to all the NARAL supporters who joined us at Friday's Pharmacy Board meeting in Renton! We outnumbered anti-choice activists 3 to 1! The Board heard from dozens of supporters of the existing rules protecting access to needed medications at the pharmacy counter. We couldn't have done it without you!

This fight is far from over. We may have had more supporters at Friday's meeting - which has hugely important - but we still have two critical opportunities to demonstrate widespread support for the existing Pharmacy Board rules:

First, post a comment on the Board of Pharmacy website expressing your support for strong pharmacy access rules. Your voice is essential to convince the Board to keep the existing rules and to show strong statewide support for access at the pharmacy counter. Here's how you can help:

Visit this Comment Form on the Pharmacy Board website. https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/policyreview/AddComment.aspx?ID=647

Fill out your contact information. (For record-keeping purposes, comments are anonymous.)
In the "Concur," menu, choose "No, see comments."

Enter a comment letting the Pharmacy Board know you want them to continue to protect patients' access to lawfully prescribed medication.

One commenter wrote, "I believe the Board of Pharmacy should compel all Washington pharmacies to provide full access to all medications prescribed by medical professionals. Access by patients is critical and should be mandated by the Board. Pharmacies and pharmacists should not be allowed to pick and choose which medications they will and will not carry, based on their beliefs and/or prejudices."

Second, sign up to attend the next Pharmacy Board meeting on Wednesday, September 29 in Kent. We need you; access to needed medications, including emergency contraception, is on the line. We know that anti-choice organizations are continuing to mobilize their activists in opposition to the access rules. We need just as strong a turnout for the Kent meeting as we had for the Renton meeting.

Pharmacy Board Meeting
Wednesday, September 29
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
CenterPoint Commons - Conference Center
20809 72nd Ave S
Kent, WA 98032
RSVP today! Questions? Email alisonmondi {at} prochoicewashington.org or [phone].


With your help we can make sure the Pharmacy Board knows that it is not acceptable for sexual assault survivors, people who have disabilities or people who live in rural areas to be told they have to travel 40, 50 or even 60 miles to get the medications they need.

Thanks to NARAL supporters like you, we successfully urged the Board of Pharmacy to pass rules in 2007 that require pharmacies to dispense valid medications on site and on time. With your continued support we can protect this important policy!

Your access to health care should not be based on whether a pharmacist thinks the medication your doctor prescribes is right or wrong.

Thank you for standing up for access to health care.

~Alison Mondi, Public Policy Director