In This Issue:

MPA CEO Perspective

MPA News

• SB 219 Nears Finish Line
• Registration Open for MSHP Annual Meeting Oct. 27
• Save the Date: UP Division Fall Conference Oct. 7-8
• MPA Now Accepting Award Nominations
• "Free Naloxone" Handouts for Patients

CE Events

• Upcoming CE Opportunities

Legislative and Regulatory News

• CDC Health Advisory: Measles and Summer Travel
• CDC: Older Americans Can Get RSV Vaccine This Fall After Consulting Doctor

Keep your eyes open next week for an invitation from MPA to complete a brief survey about Special Interest Groups (SIGs). We’re thinking seriously about forming SIGs that would add value to your membership investment. They wouldn’t be formal committees, work groups or task forces; rather, they would be more informal groups that meet in person or virtually to network and discuss topics unique to their practice settings.

I like to use independent pharmacists as an example. They fit nicely under the Michigan Society of Community Pharmacists (MSCP) umbrella. But do they ever get to meet virtually or in person to discuss common concerns? They could under a new SIG.

The Consultant and Specialty Pharmacists of Michigan (CSPM) does a great job of pulling together members from a number of practice settings. From compounding and nuclear to long-term care and specialty, CSPM members could benefit greatly by networking with friends and colleagues in these highly specialized practice settings.

These new SIGs won’t be just another listserv or discussion forum. They’re intended to engage members on a more personal level when they want and how they want. SIGs have the power to transcend section boundaries and be transformational for MPA and you!

So please respond when you receive the e-mail invitation next week. Your input will only take a minute but will help determine what our SIG landscape will look like for years to come.

Thank you!

SB 219 Nears Finish Line

Senate Bill (SB) 219 has officially passed both chambers of the Michigan Legislature and will now head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk for signature.

Introduced by Sen. Sylvia Santana in March, this MPA-priority legislation passed the Michigan Senate 36-1 in May. The House received the bill shortly after and overwhelmingly passed it 96-12 June 27. The Senate concurred 35-1 the same day, sending it to the governor for final approval.

SB 219 authorizes pharmacists to independently prescribe and administer Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)-indicated vaccines to patients ages 3 and up. Additionally, it allows for pharmacists to independently administer Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-waived tests for influenza and COVID-19. In the event of a positive test, the legislation allows pharmacists to dispense appropriate antiviral therapies to the patient.

The final version of the bill includes the following provisions:

• Pharmacists may independently order an immunization recommended by ACIP to individuals 3 years of age and up provided they have completed a board-approved training program.
• Requires pharmacists to provide information about the Vaccines for Children Program to individuals younger than 19 years of age.
• Requires pharmacists to report all immunizations they administer into MCIR.
• Pharmacists may independently order and administer a CLIA-waived test for COVID-19, influenza, or other respiratory illness provided they have completed a board-approved training program. This statutory authority does not preempt a pharmacist’s ability to order and administer CLIA-waived tests as otherwise authorized under federal law or pursuant to a collaborative practice agreement.
• Based on the result of a COVID-19 or influenza test, pharmacists may dispense antiviral therapy to a patient without a prescription.

MSHP Annual Meeting Registration Is Open!

Registration is now open for the Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) Annual Meeting, which will be held Friday, Oct. 27, at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West, 925 S. Creyts Road in Lansing.

Held each fall, the MSHP Annual Meeting offers up to six hours of live continuing education credit. Programming is geared toward health-system pharmacists, residents, pharmacy technicians and student pharmacists. The MSHP Annual Meeting focuses on clinical, leadership management and residency topics as well as other general areas of pharmacy practice.

In addition to continuing education programs, the event offers the annual MSHP Town Hall Meeting to install new MSHP Board of Directors members into office officially, recognize volunteers and award recipients, a clinical skills competition for students and an exhibit hall to provide attendees with a chance to exchange ideas and learn about new products and services.

MPA Now Accepting Award Nominations

Nominate one of your colleagues for a prestigious award to recognize their professional accomplishments!

Choose from a variety of awards, including eight Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) awards, four Michigan Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP) awards, two Michigan Society of Pharmacy Technicians (MSPT) awards, three Michigan Pharmacy PAC awards, three local association awards, the Michigan Society of Community Pharmacists (MSCP) Pharmacist of the Year Award or the Consultant and Specialty Pharmacists of Michigan (CSPM) Pharmacist of the Year Award.

MSHP nominations are due Sept. 1. 

All other award nominations are due Oct. 1. Learn more and submit your award nominations by clicking below.

"Free Naloxone" Handouts for Patients

The Northern Michigan Opioid Response Consortium (NMORC) has a handout available for pharmacy professionals with resources for patients to receive free naloxone to help combat the impacts of the opioid epidemic. NMORC is an 18-county substance use disorder (SUD) collaborative in northern Michigan that has been working with pharmacies to share this resource with patients who can't afford a Narcan prescription. Narcan Nasal Spray is prescription naloxone medication used for the treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency.

The handout instructs the patient how to access free Narcan through the mail. The typical patient in need of such resources might be one without insurance or one with Medicare, which can require $30-$50 co-pays for Narcan. The small resource card lists websites that will send free Narcan directly to the patient. Multiple pharmacies in the NMORC region are making use of the cards, but NMORC is providing them for use by pharmacies throughout the state.

There are three handouts printed per page, so they can be cut to a size that makes it easy to place in a patient's prescription bag. The handouts are not copyrighted and can be modified as needed to incorporate other logos or information. Download the handout below.

For questions, please email Dr. David McGreaham, medical director of NMORC.

NASPA Pharmacy-Based Point of Care Test & Treat (POCT)

National Certificate Program

10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 12

APhA Pharmacy-Based

Immunization Training

9-11 a.m. July 19



3rd Annual Outpatient Antimicrobial Stewardship Innovations Symposium

Noon-4:30 p.m. Aug. 17

Implicit Bias 2.0:

Education, Practice and Teams

10 a.m.-noon Aug. 25

Implicit Bias 2.0:

Education, Practice and Teams

4-6 p.m. Oct. 24

CDC Health Advisory: Measles and Summer Travel

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has put out an official Health Advisory regarding the potential for measles cases related to international travel.

Summarized action points for health care providers:

• Ensure patients are up to date on measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and other recommended vaccines before international travel.
• CDC recommends that all U.S. residents older than 6 months who will travel internationally, without evidence of immunity, receive MMR vaccine prior to departure.
• Providers should advise patients who are traveling to watch for signs of measles for three weeks after return from international travel.
• Consider measles as a diagnosis in anyone with fever (more than 101 degrees) and a generalized maculopapular rash with cough, coryza, or conjunctivitis who has recently been abroad, especially in countries with ongoing outbreaks (such as India, Somalia and Yemen). For suspect or probable cases of measles, it is important to pursue both serologic and virologic testing. Detailed information regarding the collection and submission of specimens for measles or mumps testing at the Bureau of Laboratories can be found within the A-Z Test Listing (michigan.gov). 
• Be aware that some patients may develop a mild rash reaction in the three weeks following MMR vaccination, which does not typically require testing or public health intervention.
• Measles is an immediately notifiable disease and should be reported promptly (within 24 hours) by the state health department to CDC (measlesreport@cdc.gov) and through the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS).

CDC: Older Americans Can Get RSV Vaccine

This Fall After Consulting Doctor

Americans 60 and older can get a new RSV vaccine but should discuss it with their doctor first, U.S. health officials recommended June 29.

The newly approved vaccines are expected to be ready in the fall, a time when flu shots and updated COVID-19 shots also will be available. Those eligible for the RSV vaccine should talk with their doctor to see if it is right for them, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement.

The CDC said adults with chronic heart or lung disease, weakened immune systems and those living in long-term care facilities are at higher risk for the respiratory infection.

RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms but it can be dangerous for infants and the elderly. A surge last year filled hospitals with wheezing children. There’s no vaccine yet for kids, but one for pregnant women to prevent illness in infants may be coming too, pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.