ASTHO Fosters Partnerships between State Health Agencies and Pharmacies
Strategy Aligns Resources for Massive H1N1 Vaccination
(Arlington, VA) September 16, 2009 – The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has released new guidance titled An Operational Framework for Partnering with Pharmacies for the Administration of 2009 H1N1 Vaccine. As the country prepares for what will be the largest vaccine push in history, public health officials are thinking of creative ways to maximize workforce and resources to protect their communities.
ASTHO consulted with the following organizations to create the guidance: American Pharmacists Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Alliance of State Pharmacy Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Community Pharmacists Association, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Medical Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, and Rx Response.
“We are talking about agencies that are stretched to their limits under normal circumstances,” said ASTHO Executive Director, Dr. Paul E. Jarris MD. “Bringing pharmacies into prevention efforts will help take some pressure off state health agencies and traditional healthcare providers. This new guidance will streamline logistics so our focus can be on the most important issue at hand, protecting the public’s health.”
Many pharmacies already function as seasonal influenza immunization sites. Since the H1N1 vaccine is federally purchased and provided, its distribution and administration must be supervised by state and local health agencies. Recognizing that state health agencies already interact with hospitals and healthcare facilities, ASTHO organized a unique collaborative to create a plan for an effective H1N1 vaccine distribution partnership. facilitate
The guidance focuses on planning considerations and formulizing partnerships and provides a bank of template documents. One of the documents is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provider agreement outlining minimum requirements to ensure that operational objectives and a degree of uniformity is achieved across various jurisdictions.