ASHP Talks Disaster Response with Pharmacy Stakeholders
11/25/2008
Pharmacy stakeholders can enhance their response to the next hurricane by improving communication and using emergency medication programs more, ASHP and other related organizations concluded.
A dozen pharmacy organizations and government agencies recently met for the first time to find improvements to hurricane response in wake of hurricanes Gustav, Ike, and Omar in 2008. The stakeholders said more people need to increase their awareness of programs that help connect disaster victims with their medication prescriptions. These programs include In Case of Emergency Prescription History Service (ICERx) and the federal Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP). The stakeholders also discussed ways to enhance these programs, such as broadening access to pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other healthcare providers. Preparedness training materials could be distributed to pharmacists annually, and all stakeholders should have protocols to communicate with their members, vendors, and partners during disasters, they said. For more information on disaster preparedness and response, visit ASHP’s Emergency Preparedness Resource Center.
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