key: cord-0922156-rjvkqwrj
authors: Johnson, Heather A.; Goodhart, Angela L.
title: The pharmacists behind the front lines: One year later
date: 2021-08-10
journal: J Am Pharm Assoc (2003)
DOI: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.08.006
sha: e9a30c09fdbb9b3420280d82930f86d5f8ac2b1e
doc_id: 922156
cord_uid: rjvkqwrj

nan

The pharmacists behind the front lines: One year later Heather A. Johnson, Angela L. Goodhart

One year ago, during the heart of the pandemic and social distancing, we wrote a Dose of Inspiration to encourage those of us in noncommunity or hospital roles to continue the essential work we do as pharmacists. How much has changed in a year?

As we reflect on what pharmacists have done in the past year to contribute to public health, our unwavering belief that we are essential workers no matter our area of practice has only grown. As a profession, we have administered nearly 120 million coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccinations though the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program alone. 1 This includes over 8 million doses through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care Program which protected our most vulnerable citizens as cases skyrocketed last winter. 1,2 This major influx of vaccinations has required pharmacists to take on new roles, whether we have been working in the community or hospital settings, or practicing in ambulatory care, academia, or consulting. Some have even dedicated time to vaccinations outside of their paid position. Student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacists, and retirees across the country have spent countless hours of their time to help end this pandemic.

The front lines of the pandemic have shifted. COVID-19 is no longer a disease of the intensive care units alone; it is all around us, and we all have a means to help fight it.

We vaccinate. We educate. We fight misinformation. We learn about authorized treatments. We administer tests. We advocate for expanded access to our services. We stay informed on new literature and policies. We coordinate supply chain logistics.

We are all part of the health care team fighting in whatever way we can.

As physician office-based pharmacists, vaccine administration is largely a nursing responsibility, but we found ourselves in many situations this past year we never could have imagined. We held the hands of nursing home residents as they excitedly received their first doses in December 2020. We traveled around our state with temperature-controlled vials in tow. We spent countless hours in the student recreation center of our university getting shots into the arms of our faculty, staff, and students. We fielded hundreds of calls from patients with questions about the vaccines. We took doses directly to our homebound patients' and vaccinated them and their caregivers. We cried tears of joy with our colleagues and our community as we gave them the hope they had been seeking for many months.

We continue to educate patients and our staff as our clinic now offers vaccines on site during regular primary care appointments, while also dealing with the increasing demand for our chronic disease state management services. Since the start of the pandemic, patients have lacked access to traditional primary care and have been affected by an increase in uncontrolled chronic conditions, specifically related to mental health. 3 Pharmacists have been called upon to reach patients in their homes and help manage their health and wellness during this time. Let us recognize the incredible contribution our profession is making.

What have we learned in the past year? Last year, we encouraged pharmacists to feel significant and learn what we could do to grow our perspective during the work from home days. Some of us are still at home while others have returned to the workplace. Some never left. This time has required sacrifices from everyone. We have all found new ways to contribute and new ways to bring meaning to each day.

When you reflect on what our profession is capable of, we must be recognized for these contributions to care. We must continue to advocate for pharmacist provider status to expand the reach of our profession. We know patients need us, and we are up to the task. As our roles continue to grow and change, we must dedicate time to advocacy. The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act, H.R. 2759/S. 1362 is being considered in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. We must engage our legislators in support of these bills. We ended part one of this Dose of Inspiration with, "As we return to our workplaces, whenever that day may be, let us remember the ways we grew and adapted during our remote work period and bring our newfound adaptability with us into whatever the future brings." Now it is time to use what we've gained in past year to highlight the value and contributions of our profession and bring a newly ignited passion to our work and our efforts to pass provider status legislation.

Understanding the federal retail pharmacy program for COVID-19 vaccination

Impact of COVID-19 on routine care for chronic diseases: a global survey of views from healthcare professionals