Mission: To provide sustained pharmacy leadership to the State’s emergency preparedness response by centralizing and standardizing the training of pharmacy personnel and developing an action ready group who will be able to effectively respond to a variety of public health emergencies.

Pharmacy and Local Public Health Authority MOU

Purpose: During many incidents affecting the public’s health, pharmacies can play a critical role in effective response. The memorandum of understanding provides a framework for timely, effective pharmacy response to public health incidents.

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Pharmacies can:

• Distribute and dispense vaccine during communicable disease outbreaks,
• Dispense antibiotics for treatment or prevention of illness during outbreaks,
• Assess and meet needs for medication among those displaced by storms or other incidents, and
• Expand healthcare capacity in a public health emergency by managing therapy for specific conditions under a state-issued treatment protocol (ORS 431.264).

Resources:

Oregon Health Authority: Preparedness Tools for Oregonians

Oregon Board of Pharmacy: Public Health & Emergency Response Information

State Emergency Registry of Volunteers in Oregon (SERV OR): https://serv-or.org/

Emergency Preparedness, Response, and the Role of the Oregon Pharmacist: OSU College of Pharmacy CE