Community Corner

Primary Care Pharmacies

With money tight and medical benefits being cut back, more and more New Jerseyans are turning to their drugstores rather than their doctors for minor health needs.

This article was written by Caren Chesler of NJSpotlight.com.

Over the 20 years Mark Taylor has been a pharmacist, he's seen customers come into his store and pull their pants down or yank their shoes off to see if he could identify a swelling or a rash.

That sort of behavior is likely on the rise: While the economy remains in a slump and people continue to lose health benefits, it's becoming more common for them to turn to their pharmacists rather than their doctors to address minor health problems.

Find out what's happening in East Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's definitely more prevalent now than ever before," said Taylor, who owns Jersey Shore Pharmacy in Egg Harbor Township.

To meet the needs of their customers, pharmacists today provide services that were once the province of primary care physicians. Many offer a battery of vaccinations, from the more common, like those for influenza and pneumonia, to the more specialized, like tetanus, diphtheria, and meningitis. And some of the chain drugstores like Walgreens and CVS now have walk-in clinics staffed with nurse practitioners who can diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common illnesses like strep throat, bladder infections, pink eye, and ear infections.

Find out what's happening in East Windsorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This trend isn't just about health and healing, however.

"We're always looking to offer more services," Taylor said. "You're always looking for ways to get people into your store."

A Late State

New Jersey was actually one of the last states to allow pharmacists to offer vaccinations. The Pharmacy Practice Act was signed into law in 2005, but lobbyists for the physician community requested that any rules regarding immunization be approved by both the New Jersey Board of Pharmacists and the state Board of Medical Examiners, a process that took about four years.

Some drugstores began offering vaccinations seven or eight years ago by bringing in nursing agencies that were already licensed to give them, but it wasn't until 2009 that pharmacists were authorized to offer them -- for people over the age of 18. They are still prohibited from vaccinating minors.

"It was a concession [to the physicians' lobby] that these protocols be approved by both boards," said Laurie Clark, legislative counsel for the New Jersey Pharmacists Association, the industry's trade group. "The intent wasn't to take business away from physicians. The intent was to make immunizations more available."

In fact, fears of a pandemic may be what prompted New Jersey to finally pass the legislation, according to Kristen Binaso, a spokeswoman for the American Pharmacists Association and a practicing pharmacist in New Jersey.

"If you traveled to the West Coast, pharmacies there have been immunizing for at least 10 years. For some reason, the East Coast lagged behind," Binaso said. "It wasn't until New York had a champion in the New York City health department, who warned about a pandemic if vaccines weren't readily available, that New York got legislation passed."

New Jersey followed suit shortly thereafter, she said.

On the Rise

Since pharmacies began offering immunizations, the number of people vaccinated in the state has gone up, and that's a good thing, said Linda Gooen, president of the New Jersey Pharmacists Association.

That trend comes as no surprise to pharmacists, who argue that they have more contact with patients than doctors do, so it makes sense that they should be the ones to take care of inoculations.

Continue reading this story on NJ Spotlight.

NJ Spotlight is an issue-driven news website that provides critical insight to New Jersey’s communities and businesses. It is non-partisan, independent, policy-centered and community-minded.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here