Tuesday, April 18, 2006
My birthday
Today is my 32nd birthday. I am lucky enough to have the same birthday as S. She was born on Easter Sunday in 1976 which was also my 2nd birthday. I usually love my birthday. This year I feel pretty blah about my birthday. S will be having dinner with her family. I will be here participating in a Chamber of Commerce event. The actual day of our birth is not important, but we usually have plans for the weekend. S has a new baby. I have some vague plans with my friends from out of town.
I do have a birthday wish. I know that some people say that if you tell your wish that it will not come true. I am going to take my chances with this one. I wish that I could repair my relationship with A. I sent her an email in October after she hurt my feelings deeply telling her that I could not continue our friendship. I was protecting my feelings at the time. I don't regret my decision, because the last 5 months have been incredibly stressful. I could not deal with the stress of that friendship on top of the stress of opening this business. Things are settling down now and I realize how much I miss her. I particularly miss her now around my birthday. She loves to turn a birthday into a week long event. I have become accustom to the excitement surrounding my birthday and I am missing it this year. I am going to sent her an email tomorrow letting her know how I feel. I don't expect her to call, but I can wish.
I do have a birthday wish. I know that some people say that if you tell your wish that it will not come true. I am going to take my chances with this one. I wish that I could repair my relationship with A. I sent her an email in October after she hurt my feelings deeply telling her that I could not continue our friendship. I was protecting my feelings at the time. I don't regret my decision, because the last 5 months have been incredibly stressful. I could not deal with the stress of that friendship on top of the stress of opening this business. Things are settling down now and I realize how much I miss her. I particularly miss her now around my birthday. She loves to turn a birthday into a week long event. I have become accustom to the excitement surrounding my birthday and I am missing it this year. I am going to sent her an email tomorrow letting her know how I feel. I don't expect her to call, but I can wish.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
More immoral pharmacists
I caught this store on Pam's House Blend (of course). It is from The Stranger, a Seattle Paper:
Bitter Pill
Women's Health Clinic Files Complaint Against Swedish Medical Center Pharmacy
BY JOSH FEIT
Cedar River Clinics, a women's health and abortion provider with facilities in Renton, Tacoma, and Yakima, filed a complaint with the Washington State Department of Health this week alleging three instances where pharmacists raising moral objections refused to fill prescriptions for Cedar River clients. The complaint includes one incident at the Swedish Medical Center outpatient pharmacy in Seattle. According to the complaint, someone at the Swedish pharmacy said she was "morally unable" to fill a Cedar River patient's prescription for abortion-related antibiotics. Cedar River's complaint quotes its Renton clinic manager's May 17, 2005, e-mail account: "Today, one of our clients asked us to call in her prescription... to Swedish outpatient pharmacy. [We] called the prescription in... and spoke with an efficient staff person who took down the prescription. A few minutes later, this pharmacy person called us back and told us she had found out who we were and she morally was unable to fill the prescription." (Cedar River thinks their client eventually got her prescription filled.)
Cedar River's complaint, dated April 10, summarizes: "In each of the situations, we believe the pharmacist displayed behavior that was biased, unprofessional, and unethical. We are concerned that this type of poor treatment may be becoming a trend."
The complaint also includes an incident from November 2005 in Yakima, in which a pharmacist at a Safeway reportedly refused to fill a Cedar River patient's prescription for pregnancy-related vitamins. The pharmacist reportedly asked the customer why she had gone to Cedar River Clinics and then told the patient she "didn't need them if she wasn't pregnant."
Next week, the Washington State Board of Pharmacy (WSBP) will begin deliberating on rules that will determine whether pharmacists can cite "conscientious, moral, or religious reasons" in refusing to fill prescriptions for drugs like Plan B, the well-known emergency contraception pill. The board hopes to have rules in place as early as this summer.
The seven-member board, appointed by the governor, issues pharmacist licenses and regulates pharmacists statewide. Obviously, if the board allows individual pharmacists to withhold medication on moral grounds, it will have implications beyond a woman's access to things like Plan B, antibiotics, or vitamins. For example, self-righteous pharmacists could prevent a woman from getting birth control pills if she couldn't supply a marriage license; prevent a recovering alcoholic from getting Antabuse; or stop someone from getting an AIDS cocktail.
The issue of a pharmacist's responsibility to dispense prescriptions that clash with his or her moral beliefs has become a cause for the religious right and dissident pharmacists who want to play by their own rules at the expense of health-care customers who want legal prescriptions filled.
Women's rights advocates, like Northwest Women's Law Center (NWLC) and Planned Parenthood Network of Washington, object to any rules that would prevent women from accessing medication rules they refer to as "Refusal Clauses." (Those who support allowing individual pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions refer to such rules as "Conscience Clauses.")
"Pharmacists should not be able to elevate their personal beliefs over the needs of the patient," says Amy Luftig, deputy director of public policy at Planned Parenthood Network of Washington. Luftig offered several anecdotes of refusal stories including one of a young couple seeking emergency contraception in the Central District who were lectured by the pharmacist about sex but says most women are too embarrassed or stigmatized to go public with a complaint like the one Cedar River filed on behalf of its clients. (Indeed, until this week, pharmacy board director Steven Saxe says, the board had not received any complaints.) Luftig says Planned Parenthood is now posting signs in its clinics asking people for their refusal stories.
Sara Ainsworth of the NWLC says refusing to fill birth control prescriptions for women is illegal. She cites a 1992 Washington statute that explicitly protects a woman's right to both abortion and birth control. "If a pharmacist denies contraception to women, his or her actions, per state law, are discriminatory and unlawful," Ainsworth says.
Ainsworth acknowledges that employers are legally required to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs, but she says federal and state law are clear: Employers can require employees to meet a "bona fide occupational qualification." "If you're a pharmacist," she says, "It's your job to dispense drugs if there are no problems like drug interactions."
However, the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian group based in Arizona that was cofounded by Focus on the Family's James Dobson, has jumped into the debate. In a March 10 letter to the WSBP, the group argued: "The right of conscience is a fundamental right recognized in the Washington Constitution. No citizen can be forced to yield that right when he or she enters the profession of his choice."
"That is not an accurate description of the law," Ainsworth says. "The state can enact laws that restrict some religious expression and practice if there's a compelling reason to do soÂlike in the interest of public health to make sure all people get their prescriptions filled in a timely manner."
However, one point that does spook Ainsworth is this: the 1992 pro-choice law included a "conscience" clause: "No person or private facility may be required by law or contract in any circumstances to participate in the performance of an abortion if such a person or private medical facility objects to doing so." Obviously, dispensing birth control medication isn't tantamount to performing an abortion, but the fact that there is precedent for a conscience or refusal clause gives conservatives hope.
The final voice on the issue could be Governor Christine Gregoire's. Earlier this year, Gregoire sent a letter to the board making her position clear. "It is inappropriate for pharmacies or pharmacists to interfere with [the] established patient-doctor relationship by granting or denying prescriptions based on their personal objections."
However, to the chagrin of some activists, Gregoire has not backed up her letter by using the bully pulpit to frame this as a make-or-break question for the board members.
The Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA), a nonprofit umbrella organization that has over 2,000 pharmacist members, sent its recommendations to the board in late January. Prioritizing a pharmacist's right to "act in accord with his or her moral, ethical, or religious principles, which may include conscientious objection to performing certain pharmaceutical care services," the association recommended "the reasonable accommodation of a pharmacist's conscientious objection." To that end, the WSPA's solution seems to be: Allowing pharmacists to direct customers to other pharmacies.
Cedar River Clinics Executive Director Beverly Whipple says she filed the complaint with the board to "let them know there are problems." She adds: "If they give the stamp of approval to refusals, the problem will get immensely bigger."
Swedish Medical Center's pharmacy did not return calls.
Let me start by saying that those pharmacist are wrong. They should be punished for using the pharmacy to force their morals on people. Some people believe that laws should be written that force pharmacists to fill all prescriptions. I believe that this is wrong approach to this problem.
Pharmacist need to retain the right to refuse to fill a prescription.
Why? Well, to start, we are licensed medical professionals. We make judgmentment calls every day. When a prescription is presented to me, I check to make sure the strength and the dosing is correct. Doctors make mistakes. Doctors also prescribe medication incorrectly. Currently, I can call a doctor and talk to them if I think a prescription is written incorrectly. If they do not want to change the medication, I can chose not to fill the prescription if I think it is the best interest of the patient. I can also refuse to fill a prescription from someone if I know they are selling or giving the medication to other people. I have refused to continue filling prescription for narcotics to a patient who visited 4 different doctors in 3 weeks (also known as doctor shopping). So what do we do with these pharmacist who are abusing this right to refusal?
I think that the people involved and the people in the community should contact their state boards of pharmacy. The people on the board work for the public. Their salaries are paid by the taxpayers. They do not work for the pharmacist of the state. Their job is to protect the public. This was taken directly from the SC Board of Pharmacy website:
The Board of Pharmacy protects the health and safety of the public by enforcing laws and regulations governing the practice of pharmacy; performs routine biennial inspections of drug outlets and pharmacies; issues licenses to pharmacists and permits to drug outlets and pharmacies; registers technicians; administers the reciprocity process to qualified pharmacists; receives and investigates complaints; holds administrative hearings against pharmacists and permit holders; and develops laws and regulations necessary in regulating the practice of pharmacy.
Don't just call the staff and make a complaint. Call each individual member of the board. They are public servants so their contact information should be available. Demand that these pharmacist be fined or have a suspension of their license. It is usually pretty difficult to get a pharmacist's license suspended, but a nice hefty fine might convince these people to find jobs that don't interfere with their "morals". If the boareceiveieve enough complaints and are forced to investigate, they will eventually write clear guidelines for refusing to fill in their pharmacy practice acts.
Anyways, that is my idea on how to deal with this issue.
Bitter Pill
Women's Health Clinic Files Complaint Against Swedish Medical Center Pharmacy
BY JOSH FEIT
Cedar River Clinics, a women's health and abortion provider with facilities in Renton, Tacoma, and Yakima, filed a complaint with the Washington State Department of Health this week alleging three instances where pharmacists raising moral objections refused to fill prescriptions for Cedar River clients. The complaint includes one incident at the Swedish Medical Center outpatient pharmacy in Seattle. According to the complaint, someone at the Swedish pharmacy said she was "morally unable" to fill a Cedar River patient's prescription for abortion-related antibiotics. Cedar River's complaint quotes its Renton clinic manager's May 17, 2005, e-mail account: "Today, one of our clients asked us to call in her prescription... to Swedish outpatient pharmacy. [We] called the prescription in... and spoke with an efficient staff person who took down the prescription. A few minutes later, this pharmacy person called us back and told us she had found out who we were and she morally was unable to fill the prescription." (Cedar River thinks their client eventually got her prescription filled.)
Cedar River's complaint, dated April 10, summarizes: "In each of the situations, we believe the pharmacist displayed behavior that was biased, unprofessional, and unethical. We are concerned that this type of poor treatment may be becoming a trend."
The complaint also includes an incident from November 2005 in Yakima, in which a pharmacist at a Safeway reportedly refused to fill a Cedar River patient's prescription for pregnancy-related vitamins. The pharmacist reportedly asked the customer why she had gone to Cedar River Clinics and then told the patient she "didn't need them if she wasn't pregnant."
Next week, the Washington State Board of Pharmacy (WSBP) will begin deliberating on rules that will determine whether pharmacists can cite "conscientious, moral, or religious reasons" in refusing to fill prescriptions for drugs like Plan B, the well-known emergency contraception pill. The board hopes to have rules in place as early as this summer.
The seven-member board, appointed by the governor, issues pharmacist licenses and regulates pharmacists statewide. Obviously, if the board allows individual pharmacists to withhold medication on moral grounds, it will have implications beyond a woman's access to things like Plan B, antibiotics, or vitamins. For example, self-righteous pharmacists could prevent a woman from getting birth control pills if she couldn't supply a marriage license; prevent a recovering alcoholic from getting Antabuse; or stop someone from getting an AIDS cocktail.
The issue of a pharmacist's responsibility to dispense prescriptions that clash with his or her moral beliefs has become a cause for the religious right and dissident pharmacists who want to play by their own rules at the expense of health-care customers who want legal prescriptions filled.
Women's rights advocates, like Northwest Women's Law Center (NWLC) and Planned Parenthood Network of Washington, object to any rules that would prevent women from accessing medication rules they refer to as "Refusal Clauses." (Those who support allowing individual pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions refer to such rules as "Conscience Clauses.")
"Pharmacists should not be able to elevate their personal beliefs over the needs of the patient," says Amy Luftig, deputy director of public policy at Planned Parenthood Network of Washington. Luftig offered several anecdotes of refusal stories including one of a young couple seeking emergency contraception in the Central District who were lectured by the pharmacist about sex but says most women are too embarrassed or stigmatized to go public with a complaint like the one Cedar River filed on behalf of its clients. (Indeed, until this week, pharmacy board director Steven Saxe says, the board had not received any complaints.) Luftig says Planned Parenthood is now posting signs in its clinics asking people for their refusal stories.
Sara Ainsworth of the NWLC says refusing to fill birth control prescriptions for women is illegal. She cites a 1992 Washington statute that explicitly protects a woman's right to both abortion and birth control. "If a pharmacist denies contraception to women, his or her actions, per state law, are discriminatory and unlawful," Ainsworth says.
Ainsworth acknowledges that employers are legally required to accommodate an employee's religious beliefs, but she says federal and state law are clear: Employers can require employees to meet a "bona fide occupational qualification." "If you're a pharmacist," she says, "It's your job to dispense drugs if there are no problems like drug interactions."
However, the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian group based in Arizona that was cofounded by Focus on the Family's James Dobson, has jumped into the debate. In a March 10 letter to the WSBP, the group argued: "The right of conscience is a fundamental right recognized in the Washington Constitution. No citizen can be forced to yield that right when he or she enters the profession of his choice."
"That is not an accurate description of the law," Ainsworth says. "The state can enact laws that restrict some religious expression and practice if there's a compelling reason to do soÂlike in the interest of public health to make sure all people get their prescriptions filled in a timely manner."
However, one point that does spook Ainsworth is this: the 1992 pro-choice law included a "conscience" clause: "No person or private facility may be required by law or contract in any circumstances to participate in the performance of an abortion if such a person or private medical facility objects to doing so." Obviously, dispensing birth control medication isn't tantamount to performing an abortion, but the fact that there is precedent for a conscience or refusal clause gives conservatives hope.
The final voice on the issue could be Governor Christine Gregoire's. Earlier this year, Gregoire sent a letter to the board making her position clear. "It is inappropriate for pharmacies or pharmacists to interfere with [the] established patient-doctor relationship by granting or denying prescriptions based on their personal objections."
However, to the chagrin of some activists, Gregoire has not backed up her letter by using the bully pulpit to frame this as a make-or-break question for the board members.
The Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA), a nonprofit umbrella organization that has over 2,000 pharmacist members, sent its recommendations to the board in late January. Prioritizing a pharmacist's right to "act in accord with his or her moral, ethical, or religious principles, which may include conscientious objection to performing certain pharmaceutical care services," the association recommended "the reasonable accommodation of a pharmacist's conscientious objection." To that end, the WSPA's solution seems to be: Allowing pharmacists to direct customers to other pharmacies.
Cedar River Clinics Executive Director Beverly Whipple says she filed the complaint with the board to "let them know there are problems." She adds: "If they give the stamp of approval to refusals, the problem will get immensely bigger."
Swedish Medical Center's pharmacy did not return calls.
Let me start by saying that those pharmacist are wrong. They should be punished for using the pharmacy to force their morals on people. Some people believe that laws should be written that force pharmacists to fill all prescriptions. I believe that this is wrong approach to this problem.
Pharmacist need to retain the right to refuse to fill a prescription.
Why? Well, to start, we are licensed medical professionals. We make judgmentment calls every day. When a prescription is presented to me, I check to make sure the strength and the dosing is correct. Doctors make mistakes. Doctors also prescribe medication incorrectly. Currently, I can call a doctor and talk to them if I think a prescription is written incorrectly. If they do not want to change the medication, I can chose not to fill the prescription if I think it is the best interest of the patient. I can also refuse to fill a prescription from someone if I know they are selling or giving the medication to other people. I have refused to continue filling prescription for narcotics to a patient who visited 4 different doctors in 3 weeks (also known as doctor shopping). So what do we do with these pharmacist who are abusing this right to refusal?
I think that the people involved and the people in the community should contact their state boards of pharmacy. The people on the board work for the public. Their salaries are paid by the taxpayers. They do not work for the pharmacist of the state. Their job is to protect the public. This was taken directly from the SC Board of Pharmacy website:
The Board of Pharmacy protects the health and safety of the public by enforcing laws and regulations governing the practice of pharmacy; performs routine biennial inspections of drug outlets and pharmacies; issues licenses to pharmacists and permits to drug outlets and pharmacies; registers technicians; administers the reciprocity process to qualified pharmacists; receives and investigates complaints; holds administrative hearings against pharmacists and permit holders; and develops laws and regulations necessary in regulating the practice of pharmacy.
Don't just call the staff and make a complaint. Call each individual member of the board. They are public servants so their contact information should be available. Demand that these pharmacist be fined or have a suspension of their license. It is usually pretty difficult to get a pharmacist's license suspended, but a nice hefty fine might convince these people to find jobs that don't interfere with their "morals". If the boareceiveieve enough complaints and are forced to investigate, they will eventually write clear guidelines for refusing to fill in their pharmacy practice acts.
Anyways, that is my idea on how to deal with this issue.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Breaking News....
I have been chosen Young Pharmacist of the Year by the South Carolina Pharmacy Association. This award is bittersweet. I deserve the recognition for opening the pharmacy. I am honored, but the conference where I will receive the award is the same weekend as Atlanta Pride. I have been planning to attend Atlanta Pride for about 4 years, but I have had to attend this conference. I have been a delegate to our House of Delegates for 3 years and last year I was also recognized for my participation in the CPN Community Pharmacy Fellowship. It is our state pharmacy conference and it is always the same weekend as Atlanta Pride. Next year, I am definitely blowing off the conference.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Changing computers
S is planning to come back to work after Easter. So, I spent this morning loading the third computer in the pharmacy with all of the programs I use. As I do this, I am trying to figure out how come I change computers each time instead of my employees. J says that I give to others to the detriment of myself. It doesn't feel that way to me most of the time, but then an unexpected feeling of resentment pops up. I wonder sometimes if I am nice or just passive. I hate conflict, but most people do. Do I hate conflict so much that avoidance has become my primary motivation? In this case, it makes more sense for me to change computers. The front computers are loaded with the prescription processing program. The back computer, which will be mine, does not have that software. I want S and D to do all of the processing while I check behind them and work with patients. Or maybe, I am rationalizing my movement.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Baseball
I have been a bad blogger. I have several excuses, but none of them are that good. I have had a particular topic I have been thinking about, but I am not sure who reads this blog so I will address it some other time. I feel like that has given me some writers' block.
The pharmacy continues to get busier. We did 33 on Monday. I hope to be at an average of 25 per day by the end of the month. I continue to worry about money, but our cash flow is getting better. I miss S working with me, but I am not looking forward to paying 2 employees while still not paying myself. We placed flyers in the paper boxes of residents two weekends ago. I have had several people come in as a result. We are going to have an ad in the state paper this weekend within a larger ad for Pleasantville. We may also see an increase in business due to the new business across the street from us. It is going to be a wine and cheese shop. They have a cedar, walk-in humidor (for cigars) and a cappuchino machine (for me). They will carry tobacco products, cheese, olive oil, micro-brewed beers, and about 450 wines. I am excited to see it open.
K started baseball at the beginning of March. Talk about torture. He has 2 games per week and at least 1 practice. I never realized how much time my parents spent at softball fields (insert lesbian joke here) when I was a kid. Usually J brings K at 6:00 pm and I show up as soon as I can after I close the store at 6:30. Our team mom is an absolute gem. She talks to everyone and is always super nice. I just hate that we spend at least 2 hours at each game and each practice. K has some natural talent, but is not that into the game. A couple of Saturdays ago, we were playing a very long game. The inning ended and the kids started lining up to shake hands. The coaches from the other team asked to play another inning. The games have a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes. You just have to begin the last inning within that limit. So we started another inning. Our kids were not very happy. My kid was downright pissed-off. We'll see. He is going to visit his grandparents (my parents') for his spring break to get some training from Poppie.
The pharmacy continues to get busier. We did 33 on Monday. I hope to be at an average of 25 per day by the end of the month. I continue to worry about money, but our cash flow is getting better. I miss S working with me, but I am not looking forward to paying 2 employees while still not paying myself. We placed flyers in the paper boxes of residents two weekends ago. I have had several people come in as a result. We are going to have an ad in the state paper this weekend within a larger ad for Pleasantville. We may also see an increase in business due to the new business across the street from us. It is going to be a wine and cheese shop. They have a cedar, walk-in humidor (for cigars) and a cappuchino machine (for me). They will carry tobacco products, cheese, olive oil, micro-brewed beers, and about 450 wines. I am excited to see it open.
K started baseball at the beginning of March. Talk about torture. He has 2 games per week and at least 1 practice. I never realized how much time my parents spent at softball fields (insert lesbian joke here) when I was a kid. Usually J brings K at 6:00 pm and I show up as soon as I can after I close the store at 6:30. Our team mom is an absolute gem. She talks to everyone and is always super nice. I just hate that we spend at least 2 hours at each game and each practice. K has some natural talent, but is not that into the game. A couple of Saturdays ago, we were playing a very long game. The inning ended and the kids started lining up to shake hands. The coaches from the other team asked to play another inning. The games have a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes. You just have to begin the last inning within that limit. So we started another inning. Our kids were not very happy. My kid was downright pissed-off. We'll see. He is going to visit his grandparents (my parents') for his spring break to get some training from Poppie.
