Submitted by Thomas Buckley, RPH, MPH; CSHP Legislative Chair

The 2019 Connecticut General Assembly came to a close in early June, and finished with a flurry of bills passed that affects pharmacy practice. In addition to monitoring over 3000 bills introduced in this session, CSHP raised and coordinated the effort for 2 specific bills. Both of these bills had numerous live and written testimony in support of passage from CSHP members, and we can be very proud of our efforts to raise the awareness of pharmacy practice in legislators’ minds.

Our bill to permit pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation therapy was raised and received a public hearing, but it ran out of time on the legislative calendar to come to a vote in the public health committee. However, our bill to expand collaborative drug therapy management to include APRNs, in addition to physicians, did pass and will become effective October 1, 2019 (Senate Bill 921). The language to expand collaborative practice was included in the overall APRN bill that affects their scope of practice, as Section 22 of SB 921. The impact of granting APRNs authority to collaborate with pharmacists through protocols will be reflected primarily in ambulatory care clinic settings, where APRNs are having an increasing role in primary care. This bill should result in significantly more protocol-driven medication management by pharmacists in various settings around the state.

Of the many legislators who supported this bill, these legislators should be thanked for their efforts – please make an effort to email or call them to thank them for their support of pharmacy practice:

Senator Mary Abrams:   http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/abrams-contact
Rep. Chris Perone: Chris.Perone@cga.ct.gov
Rep. Jonathan Steinberg:  Jonathan.Steinberg@cga.ct.gov
Rep. William Petit:  https://www.cthousegop.com/Petit/
Rep. Vincent Candelora:  https://www.cthousegop.com/Candelora/

Note: The flu vaccine bill to administer to age 12+ did not pass. If you've questions, please contact Tom Buckley.  Thomas.e.buckley@uconn.edu