Res. No. 1514
Resolution calling upon the State Legislature to amend the Education Law in relation to allowing a licensed physician or a certified nurse practitioner to prescribe and order a non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist to administer the hepatitis B vaccine to adults.
By Council Members Chin, Arroyo, Brewer, Dromm, Fidler, Lander, Mendez, Rose, Williams and Halloran
Whereas, According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), vaccination programs have eliminated or significantly reduced many infectious diseases that once routinely killed or harmed countless infants, children, and adults in the United States; and
Whereas, Vaccine-preventable diseases have many social and economic costs, causing those affected to lose time from work and school as well as resulting in doctor's visits, hospitalizations, and even premature deaths; and
Whereas, According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, it is critical for adults to be immunized since more than 99% of vaccine-preventable deaths in New York City and throughout the United States occur in adults; and
Whereas, According to a report entitled Adult Immunization: Shots to Save Lives by the Trust for America's Health, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, millions of American adults go without recommended vaccinations each year, leading to an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 preventable deaths, thousands of preventable illnesses, and 10 billion dollars in preventable health care costs each year; and
Whereas, According to a 2008 report by members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, the estimated prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) in New York City is two to four times higher than the estimated prevalence of HBV for the United States as a whole; and
Whereas, The CDC recommends vaccination against the Hepatitis B virus for all newborns, previously unvaccinated children and adolescents, and all adults seeking protection from the HBV infection; and
Whereas, According to the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, HBV causes 60 to 80 percent of liver cancer cases worldwide; and
Whereas, The hepatitis B vaccine is so effective at preventing HBV and liver cancer that the World Health Organization has declared it the "world's first anti-cancer vaccine;" and
Whereas, According to the CDC, successful integration of the Hepatitis B vaccine into the childhood vaccination schedule has contributed to a 96 percent decline in the incidence of acute Hepatitis B in children and adolescents; and
Whereas, According to the CDC, approximately 95 percent of new HBV infections occur among adults; and
Whereas, According to the CDC, only 23.4 percent of American adults self-report ever receiving the Hepatitis B vaccination; and
Whereas, According to the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, standing orders programs, which authorize nurses and pharmacists to administer vaccinations according to an institution- or physician-approved protocol without a physician's exam, are the most consistently effective means for increasing vaccination rates among adults; and
Whereas, Pharmacists are licensed health care professionals and receive specialized training in drug administration, drug interactions, physiology, pharmacology, and patient management; and
Whereas, The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends standing orders programs for the Hepatitis B vaccine; and
Whereas, New York State Education Law currently allows a licensed physician or a certified nurse practitioner to prescribe and order a non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist to administer immunizations to prevent influenza or pneumococcal disease; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the State Legislature to amend the Education Law in relation to allowing a licensed physician or a certified nurse practitioner to prescribe and order a non-patient specific regimen to a licensed pharmacist to administer the hepatitis B vaccine to adults.
LS#3728
LC/SL
09/4/12