VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A new federal law taking effect at the state level will impose stricter restrictions on how first responders can obtain, store and restock controlled substances used to treat patients. Become.
of Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Security Act Specifies how EMS and fire departments handle listed medications. From Schedule II to Schedule VI. In Virginia, enforcement is as follows: pharmacy committee.
Firefighters and medical personnel carry medications in locked containers, such as tool boxes or tackle boxes. In many departments, once first responders use the drugs on scene, the entire kit can be exchanged at a local hospital and ready for the next call.
“When you drop off your toolbox or your entire kit, they give you a whole new kit,” said Vance Cooper, president of the Virginia Fire Chiefs Association. “The ruling, which takes effect in November, prohibits us from doing that.”
The new rules require departments to stockpile necessary medicines in advance. They need to be better at predicting which drugs they will use over time to avoid running out of drugs or wasting them by ordering too many.
“What we don’t want is for departments like ours here in Hampton Roads and other places to buy a lot of stuff and keep it and not use it and let it degrade and become unusable,” Cooper said. he said.
Other new restrictions will force EMS and fire departments to purchase special storage units with their own electronic security and dispensing systems. It must be mounted on the wall so that it cannot be removed and must be behind several locks. Monitor your on-hand supply of specific drugs by weight to prevent theft and abuse.
Mr Cooper says all of these new requirements will be particularly tough on small, rural voluntary sectors.
“They’re in areas that are struggling to keep their doors open to make calls. It’s going to be even harder to meet the financial and logistical requirements in these areas. ”
Cooper said he hopes the Fire Chiefs Association and the Board of Pharmacy can find a reasonable compromise on how medicines are stored and obtained. He expects to have a better sense of where the negotiations are going in about three weeks, he said.
