| Vol. 2 No. 4 |
Perspectives | Spring 2002 |
A bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives could bring needed assistance in addressing the critical shortage of pharmacists nation-wide.
The Pharmacy Education Act of 2001 (HR 2173) would expand the eligibility of certain existing Federal grant programs to colleges of pharmacy to upgrade and expand facilities and laboratory space. It would also provide support to recruit and retain faculty to educate pharmacy students and provide a number of new sources of financial aid to students interested in pursuing a career in pharmacy.
The bill is endorsed by a number of organizations including the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Community Pharmacists Association, the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Dean Steven Leslie has actively worked in support of the bill. He and the three other deans of pharmacy in Texas recently spent a day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. where they met with AACP staff and with legislators to discuss the bill. Their visits included the offices of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Phil Gramm, and U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett.
Pharmacy is the third largest health professional group in the United States with approximately 190,000 practicing pharmacists. The number is expected to rise to more than 224,000 by 2010, yet, despite the increase, the demand for pharmacy services is expected to continue to outpace supply. From 1992 to 1999 alone, the number of retail prescriptions dispensed annually increased from 1.9 billion to 2.8 billion.
The proposed bill seeks to enhance not only the supply of pharmacists by providing much needed support to Colleges of Pharmacy and pharmacy students, but also to improve the distribution of pharmacists by building upon the National Health Services Corp.
For a view of the complete text of the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c107query.html and key in H.R. 2173.
Persons supporting the bill should contact their representative and senator. For a special e-link to Congress go to http://www.house.gov/writerep/
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