ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Dec. 16, 2020) — A large majority of pharmacists who specialize in long-term care worry that CVS and Walgreens do not understand the nursing home environment and are not prepared to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine without major challenges, a new national survey finds.
“Patient needs in the long-term care environment can be much more nuanced than the general retail environment, and the survey showed concerns about the potential unintended consequences of allowing the big chains to have exclusive responsibility to immunize those patients,” said National Community Pharmacists Association CEO B. Douglas Hoey, pharmacist, MBA.
The survey was conducted by NCPA and the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the other professional association representing long-term care pharmacies and pharmacists. ASCP Chief Executive Chad Worz explained that long-term care facilities such as nursing homes require specialized services that cater to the unique needs of older adults in these settings, which are almost always provided by service oriented, independent, long-term care pharmacies.
“CVS and Walgreens were chosen to administer the program in nursing homes mainly because they have the systematic and technological capacity to handle a lot of volume,” said Worz. “But that shouldn’t be the only consideration. The LTC environment is very different than the general retail environment, many residents in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities need help, they can’t get in line or walk down to a room for their vaccination. We need to accommodate them and if that is not recognized, a lot can go wrong.”
According to the survey, 82.5 percent of LTC pharmacists believe CVS and Walgreens personnel don’t have enough experience with nursing home patients to administer the vaccine safely and effectively. 87.3 percent say the big chains don’t have enough staff to serve the facilities. More than a third, 36.3 percent, say chain pharmacists and technicians lack adequate training to immunize LTC populations with the COVID-19 vaccine.
There’s some indication that CVS and Walgreens, as well as many facilities, are also concerned. According to the survey, 33 percent of LTC pharmacists said the chains have reached out to them asking for help with nursing homes. 45 percent say the facilities have contacted them as well, asking if they would assist the chains.
“Independent LTC pharmacists are willing to help in any way they can,” said Hoey. “If the rollout of the vaccine program is going to succeed – and we are all hopeful it does – then independent pharmacies must be part of the solution. That’s especially true when it comes to patient populations that require additional experience and specialized knowledge.”
NCPA and ASCP shared the survey findings in a joint letter sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The groups have let federal health officials know they’re ready to assist.
“We want CVS, Walgreens, and federal officials to engage independent LTC pharmacies in the fight against the pandemic,” said Worz. “Our members have close relationships with these communities, have decades of experience serving the population, and manage and deliver sophisticated medications to them every single day.”
For more information about NCPA, please visit www.ncpa.org.
For more information about ASCP, please visit www.ascp.com.
###
