City Budget
A report by the City Controller's office finds that eight of the city's public health centers are experiencing a severe shortage of pharmacists.
By Kerry Grens, WHYY Health and Science Reporter
WHYY News, April 9, 2008
At a press conference in the Municipal Services Building, Controller Alan Butkovitz said that the shortage leads to overworked pharmacists who have no time to consult patients on their medications to prevent dangerous interactions.
"Common sense would tell you that the higher the number of prescriptions fillied under this extremely tight schedule, the greater the risk for mistakes and harm to patients," said Butkovitz.
The audit done by the controller's office found that pharmacists are filling an average of more than 300 prescriptions per day at the health centers, which serve much of the city's uninsured and poor.
Butkovitz recommended hiring four new pharmacists and paying them a minimum of $80,000 per year.
Mayor Michael Nutter has proposed roughly a two percent increase to funding the health centers. Not enough, says Butkovitz.
"The magnitude of the problem is a lot larger than a $3 million dollar solution," said the controller.
The mayor's budget increase would allow for the hiring of eight new pharmacists according to health center director Tom Storey, making a big impact on the functioning of the centers.
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