BILL NUMBER: S887

SPONSOR: YOUNG
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to authorizing pharma-
cists to administer influenza immunizations to persons six years of age
or older

 
PURPOSE:

Authorizes pharmacists to administer immunizations to prevent influenza
to persons six or older.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 6801 of the education law by adding a new
subdivision 6 to authorize pharmacists to administer immunizations to
prevent influenza to persons six or older.

Section 2 provides that the act shall take effect on the ninetieth day
              

after it shall have become law, and expire and be deemed repealed on the
same date the amendments to section 6801 of the education law expire
pursuant to section 8 of chapter 563 of the laws of 2008, as amended.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends
the influenza vaccination for everyone aged six months and older, the
latest statistics reveal that only 58.9W of children under 17 years of
age receive the vaccination annually.

Contributing to this low vaccination rate for children is current New
York State Law, which states that a licensed pharmacist may only admin-
ister influenza vaccinations to individuals aged 18 years and older.
This bill would reduce the minimum age, allowing pharmacists to adminis-
ter the vaccine to children as young as six years-old.

Reducing this minimum age threshold will increase access to vaccines and
therefore raise the vaccination rate. Further, it will increase access
in rural areas of the state, where there is limited access to physicians
and health care, generally. This measure would make it far easier for
families to access immunizations, since pharmacists are highly accessi-
ble health care professionals and have more flexible hours of operation.

In addition, reducing the minimum age at which pharmacists may immunize
against influenza would put New York in line with the majority of other
states and the District of Columbia, which already allow pharmacists to
administer flu shots to children younger than 18 years-old.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2017,2018: S.5554 REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become law, and expire and be deemed repealed on the same date the
amendments to section 6801 of the education law expire pursuant to
section 8 of chapter 563 of the laws of 2008, as amended.