On Thursday, October 19, 2023, there will be an opportunity to attend Missouri's Board of Pharmacy virtual or in person. This is the Board of Pharmacy for my state.
If you can participate in person, just sitting beside us can help a lot. If you want to create a sign or wear a shirt in support, please do. You are not required to speak if you don't want to, but please don't underestimate the simple possibility that your presence can help create change. I don't have the exact times yet as the full agenda has not been posted yet, but confirmed the meeting will take place at:
Courtyard by Marriott Columbia
3301 Lemone Industrial Blvd.
Columbia, MO 65201
My son could have died when they shipped his medications without protection, and he ended up in the hospital after his liquid oral transplant medications delivered on a 102-degree day were not working. We received no warning that his life-saving medicines, which arrived in only a bag on a hot day, may not work due to heat exposure. We will never know how many lives were lost to date, because few were warned of the lack of regulation and protection.
With all of my heart, I desire to encourage others to help me save the lives of others by ensuring safe access to medications. Our supporters of this petition taught me a lot about medication and pharmacy access issues.
On the 19th, the Missouri Board of Pharmacy will discuss a few suggestions for rules for temperature issues, but it's not enough. Lives will continue to be risked for the profits of these mail order pharmacies that many of us as patients and caregivers are forced to use as the only coverage option.
That's why I am asking as many as possible to please attend the Missouri Board of Pharmacy meeting and, at minimum, come and support us. Not only am I an advocate to ensure that mail order pharmacy is not forced and that temperatures of medications throughout the supply chain are properly regulated, but I also want to ensure that patients have safe access to local pharmacies.
Local corporate chain pharmacies are in crisis. Mail order pharmacies that many are forced to use have also merged with retail pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers. Not only do pharmacy benefit managers steer to their own mail order, they also steer to their own retail pharmacies. For example, CVS Pharmacy merged with CVS mail order pharmacy and CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit manager. CVS uses its pharmacy benefit manager to steer many patients to their own pharmacy. The pharmacists that walked out of CVS Pharmacy last week are not asking for more money but for safe staffing. Some walkouts occurred in the same city as this Board of Pharmacy meeting in Columbia, Missouri. Pharmacists don't want to risk their patients' lives by making life-threatening errors.
CVS Caremark, as a pharmacy benefit manager, also oversees the reimbursements of competitor pharmacies and reimburses them so low that small locally owned pharmacies across our nation are closing.
Many Board of Pharmacy members seem pressured by large corporations to put profits ahead of patients, which is why we are in this place today. There's only one way to balance that pressure: for community members, patients, and caregivers to start showing up.
Options to use your local pharmacy are life-saving. Ensuring proper temperature storage of medications, that patients aren’t forced to risk their lives with delays or unsafe staffing are the basics of pharmaceutical care.
Please meet me there to take a stand for it. If you can attend, please email me loretta@uniteforsafemedications.com
Thank you,
Loretta Boesing
Patient Advocate