Congressman Gonzalez Urges President Biden to Optimize Federal Retail Pharmacy Program to Provide COVID-19 Vaccine

WASHINGTON – On Tuesday, April 13, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) and 16 of his colleagues wrote a letter to President Joe Biden urging the urging optimum utilization of the of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP) and adequate vaccine allocation to community and retail pharmacies to inoculate more Americans.

"We must utilize every tool in our arsenal to defeat this virus," said Congressman Gonzalez. "Expanding vaccine distribution through community pharmacies will help us provide increased access for Americans to get vaccinated. The inclusion and utilization of these pharmacies has, and with proper support, will continue to be an important factor in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic."

Retail pharmacies have the capacity to provide millions of vaccinations per week and are well suited and prepared to assist with equitable distribution and administration to populations most severely affected by healthcare disparities, including rural communities.

In the letter, the Members wrote : "We applaud this expansion of the number of pharmacies activated in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, and urge you to adequately allocate vaccines to accomplish program goals. These 40,000 retail pharmacies have the capacity to provide millions of vaccinations per week, dramatically increasing the number of Americans who are vaccinated in a short period of time. In fact, even without full activation and even with continuing vaccine supply constraints, the FRPP provided over 1 million doses in a single day, compared to 67,000 doses at mass vaccination hubs. While it is important to leverage all vaccination sites, it is clear that pharmacies have unmatched reach into all communities and patients are familiar with and comfortable obtaining their vaccinations from their local pharmacies. As such, we urge appropriate COVID-19 vaccine allocation and coordination to meet the demand our community pharmacies are experiencing."

The cosignatories of the letter include U.S. Representatives Bill Foster (IL-11), Greg Stanton (AZ-09), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Filemon Vela (TX-34), Al Green (TX-09), Lloyd Doggett (TX-35), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Abigail D. Spanberger (VA-07), John B. Larson (CT-01), David N. Cicilline (RI-01), Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) and Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02).

The full letter can be found here and below.

Dear Mr. President:

We salute your unwavering leadership that has restored trust in America and the Administration's comprehensive national strategy to beat the COVID-19 pandemic. We remain committed to work with you and Congress to overcome pandemic challenges and to advance the health and prosperity of all Americans.

We were extremely gratified to learn that the Administration has more than doubled – from 17,000 to nearly 40,000 – the number of pharmacies in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program (FRPP), as part of your "90-90" plan that 90% of American adults will be eligible for a vaccination by April 19 and 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of a vaccinating pharmacy. To successfully achieve the new goal of vaccinating 200 million Americans within the first 100 days of your presidency, we must reach Americans where they live. We thank you for recognizing the importance of leveraging retail pharmacies, including traditional pharmacies, grocery and mass merchants, in allowing individuals to stay in their local neighborhoods when scheduling a vaccination appointment.

We applaud this expansion of the number of pharmacies activated in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, and urge you to adequately allocate vaccines to accomplish program goals. These 40,000 retail pharmacies have the capacity to provide millions of vaccinations per week, dramatically increasing the number of Americans who are vaccinated in a short period of time. In fact, even without full activation and even with continuing vaccine supply constraints, the FRPP provided over 1 million doses in a single day, compared to 67,000 doses at mass vaccination hubs. While it is important to leverage all vaccination sites, it is clear that pharmacies have unmatched reach into all communities and patients are familiar with and comfortable obtaining their vaccinations from their local pharmacies. As such, we urge appropriate COVID-19 vaccine allocation and coordination to meet the demand our community pharmacies are experiencing.

Retail pharmacies are particularly well suited and prepared to assist with equitable distribution and administration - including people of races and ethnicities most severely affected by healthcare disparities and including rural communities. Studies show that on an annual basis pharmacy encounters outweigh primary care encounters among Medicaid and Medicare patients, including Black Americans and Hispanic Americans. This trend is even more pronounced in rural areas. During the COVID-19 vaccination effort, pharmacies are using a data-driven approach – including demographic, social and health data – to prioritize equity.

As the Administration continues its critical pandemic work, we thank you for leveraging community pharmacies as viable and sustainable vaccination access options for all Americans. With eyes on the future, we commend your Administration on its achievements and we look forward to working with you to ensure pharmacies receive adequate allocation to rescue America from this pandemic. We also look forward to working with you to leverage pharmacies as sustainable vaccination sites to meet the ongoing needs related to COVID-19 and to future public health crises.

Sincerely,

/S/

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