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Kansas News: Immunization Statute Amended
Published in the September 2010 Kansas State Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
The 2010 legislature amended K.S.A. 65-1635a related to immunizations. The change went into effect July 1, 2010. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have acknowledged that vaccination is the best protection against the flu. As part of the disease control strategy in Kansas, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) supported an amendment to the Pharmacy Act and testified in favor of this bill. KDHE felt that an increase in access to patients would decrease hospitalizations and deaths in Kansas. It would also minimize possible social and economic disruptions. They wanted to keep schools open, safe, and functioning. They promoted hygiene as well as encouraged workers and priority groups to get immunized against the flu.
In order to increase access to patients the legislature amended the statute so that a pharmacist or a pharmacy student or intern who is working under the direct supervision and control of a pharmacist may administer influenza vaccine to a person six years of age or older. They also amended the definition of pharmacist in K.S.A. 65-1626 to mean a pharmacist who has completed a course of study and training, approved by Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education or the Board, in vaccination storage, protocols, injection technique, emergency procedures, and record keeping, and has taken a course in CPR and has a current CPR certificate. Another amendment to the immunization statute permits the pharmacist, pharmacy student, or intern to report the record of immunization to the vaccinee’s primary-care provider by mail, electronic facsimile, e-mail, or other electronic means.
The Board of Pharmacy, KDHE, the Kansas Pharmacists Association, the Kansas Independent Pharmacy Services Corp, and the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy worked together to accomplish this amendment. It will benefit the citizens of Kansas by providing affordable access for immunizations against influenza.
Immunization certificates need to be maintained at the pharmacy where the pharmacist or student is working so that an inspector can view them.
