Free Clinics Get A Pass
By CASEY HICKSWHEELING - West Virginia's 10 free clinics are no longer in danger of losing their ability to provide medication.
The West Virginia Board of Pharmacy has eased its proposed rules regulating who can dispense medication in the clinics and under what conditions.
"They've relaxed quite a bit," said Kathie Brown, executive director of Wheeling Health Right.
West Virginia Senate Bill 722, passed last spring, gave the Board of Pharmacy the power to oversee the state's free clinics. The rules the board initially proposed would require clinics have a pharmacist or pharmacy technician present whenever a prescription is filled. The new rules state that state-licensed health practitioners will be able to dispense prescriptions without a pharmacist or pharmacy technician available.
The board is also relaxing its requirements that would require pharmacies to have security systems, weights and scales. Brown said the Wheeling Clinic already has a security system in place, and its existing pharmacy has never needed weights or scales.
The free clinics are in the process of arranging a meeting with the Board of Pharmacy and the Office of the Governor.
Brown said she hopes the groups will meet several times before the Senate Rules Committee has the chance to review the new rules. The rules ought to reach the state Legislature in February, and if approved, they will go into effect in March or April.
"It looks as if free clinics are going to keep their pharmacies," Brown said. "We're heading toward a good place."
Brown said there are still some issues she would like to see resolved with the Board of Pharmacy's rules. A pharmacist-in-charge will only have to serve at each clinic eight hours a month for any clinic with a 40-hour week, probably on a volunteer basis, but the pharmacist will be responsible for all prescriptions filled at the clinic, regardless of who filled them.
"It's a big liability," Brown said. "They're putting their licenses on the line even when they're not at the pharmacy."
Another point of contention is what should be done about prescriptions written in the emergency room.
The proposed rules would require the pharmacist be present to fill the order.
But if the pharmacist is not available when a patient comes in, the hospitals may have to cope with the burden of patients coming back until medication can be provided.
With the immediate threat to free clinics over, Brown said she is prepared to make some sacrifices to reach a compromise with the Board of Pharmacy and the Office of the Governor.
"In the long run, I think we'll all come out somewhat happy," she said.
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EllisWyatt
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09-07-08 12:09 PM
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Destroy You missed my point entirely. Here is the scanerio. No government involvement in education: Colleges are not guaranteed any money beyond that which they can get from students and alumni. Thus they have an incentive to keep costs down and to assist their alumni in finding high paying employment, which could lead to more donations. With no guarantee, college could cost $6,000 per year. You could work full-time for 2 years and part-time for 4 years and graduate with 6 years in the workforce, a degree and no debt. Government involvement: You can get student loans, grants, etc. Colleges have no incentive to hold down costs. College runs $15,000 per year. You cannot work your way through college due to higher costs. Thus, you have to borrow $30,000. When you graudate, you have no work experience and $30,000 in debt. A: A degree, no debt, 6 years' work experience. B: A degree, $30,000 debt, no work experience. Which situation would you prefer?
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Katabatic
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09-07-08 11:39 AM
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Ellis is right.
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Destroyallmonsters
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09-06-08 3:04 PM
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Ellis, if it was not for the government, I would have not been able to attend college. Not everybody has responsible parents that save money for tuition. Not everybody can work 30-40 hrs per week to pay for school. But guess what, since I was able to receive grants and loans I can now save for my children to attend college. Hell, I'm even paying interest on these loans that goes directly to the government.The education I received has enabled me to receive a good paying job, as well as an understanding of analytical thought and processes. No government "hand outs" for my kids in the future. Its all about breaking cycles, to keep the younger generation from repeating the mistakes of the former.
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EllisWyatt
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09-06-08 7:39 AM
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Get government out of health care, higher education and housing! If you truly want to return to the days where you paid your doctor in cash, saved up to buy a house and worked your way through college, get government, and their subsidies, out of these areas.
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