Governor Signs Landmark Bill SB 493 Expanding the Scope of Pharmacy Practice

NEWS From California Health Sciences University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 2, 2013

Governor Signs Landmark Bill SB 493 Expanding the Scope of Pharmacy Practice

Fresno, CA – On October 1, 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 493 into law allowing pharmacists to provide expanded patient care services in collaboration with physicians and other members of the health care team. The legislation was authored by State Senator Dr. Ed Hernandez in an effort to provide greater patient access to health care. “Pharmacists are a critical component of the healthcare team,” said Senator Hernandez. “This law will ensure all patients, regardless of where they live, have increased access to quality healthcare services.”

“The enactment of SB 493 is a major accomplishment that will allow California pharmacists to help all Californians receive better, safer medical care,” said Steve Gray, PharmD, JD and President of CSHP. “Pharmacists will also be able to help relieve the stress during the shortage of primary care physicians as they provide access to high quality care for a growing number of patients. We owe a special thanks to Senator Ed Hernandez and the coalition of pharmacists and others that enabled this success.”

“We appreciate the Governor’s signature on this landmark legislation,” stated Jon Roth, CEO of the California Pharmacists Association. “With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act at a time when the number of primary care physicians continues to shrink, we believe this legislation will help ensure that the millions of new patients receiving insurance will be able to access health care services through their local pharmacist.”

“We hope that legislation such as SB 493 will help bridge the primary health care provider gap in Central California,” said Dr. David Hawkins, Founding Dean of California Health Sciences University College of Pharmacy. “We appreciate Senator Hernandez’s efforts to expand the role of pharmacists in providing primary care in collaboration with physicians, which directly coincides with the mission and vision of our new university.”

SB 493 received bipartisan support from both the California Senate and Assembly and will take effect January 1, 2014.

Contact: Richele Kleiser, rkleiser@chsu.edu

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