Advocacy

ATLANTA — In what may be a serendipitous turn of events, on the same day the Senate re-introduced provider status legislation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report outlining the disparities between medically underserved communities in rural areas vs. their urban center counterparts.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Provider status is back on the Congressional menu as the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (S. 109) was reintroduced Thursday with the bipartisan original co-sponsorship of more than one-quarter of the U.S. Senate. The return of that critical piece of legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives also is anticipated shortly.

Could this be the year?

The American Psychological Association last week released a finding from its annual “Stress in America” survey that more than half of adults in the United States feel very or somewhat stressed by the election. Republicans and Democrats are feeling this stress at similar rates. There is even talk of what is formally called Election Stress Disorder.

As patients look for ways to obtain healthcare in more convenient and lower-cost settings, new opportunities are emerging for retail pharmacies to help meet patient needs. Many pharmacies already are recognized as cost-efficient channels for expanding public access to vaccinations, disease management, medication management, and other clinical services.