Innovations-Magazine-September-2023 - 6

INTERVIEW WITH A BOARD EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Justin Ortique, PharmD, RPh, CPM
Executive Director, District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy
How long have you served as
executive director of the District
of Columbia Board of Pharmacy?
What was your role prior to
working with the Board?
I have served as executive director of the
Board since May 2022. Before this role,
I was a supervisory pharmacist and worked
closely with the previous executive director.
I was primarily responsible for supervising
pharmacy inspections.
District of Columbia
Board of Pharmacy
Number of Board
Members
5 pharmacist members
and 2 public members
Number of
Compliance
Officers/Inspectors
6
Rules & Regulations
Established by
State Board of
Pharmacy and mayor
Number of
Pharmacist Licensees
2,036
Number of
Pharmacies
178
Number of
Wholesale
Distributors
27
What is one of the most
significant challenges or issues
that your Board has addressed
in the past year or so?
One of the most significant issues that the
Board has addressed in the past year was
expanding the practice of pharmacy to be on
par with many other jurisdictions and states.
What actions were taken by the
Board to address the issue?
The actions taken by the Board included
the recommendation of updates to the
Health Occupations Revision Act of 2009.
Specifically, the recommendations include
allowing pharmacists to administer certain
medications; adding a pharmacy technician
member to the Board; allowing pharmacists
to administer some immunizations (hepatitis,
shingles, tetanus, influenza, etc) permanently,
not just during public health emergencies;
and decreasing the age at which pharmacists
may immunize children from ages 12
and up to ages three and up. While these
recommendations have yet to go into effect,
they are the first step in the process.
What other key issues has the
Board been focusing on?
The Board has been focusing on the
improvement of working conditions for
pharmacy staff, as working conditions
directly impact public safety.
" My advice when facing
a major issue is to bring
the issue to a committee
of stakeholders. "
Some of the issues being focused on are
meal breaks, other rest breaks, and their
timing; posting notices while the staff
is out of the pharmacy and the content
of these notices; whether a pharmacist
should be present in the pharmacy at all
times; and the scope of work of pharmacy
staff while the pharmacist is not present.
Improving pharmacy working conditions
also aligns with the mission of the Board,
which is " to protect and improve the
public health through the efficient and
effective regulation of the practice of
Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Detailing;
through the licensure of Pharmacists,
Pharmaceutical Detailers, Pharmacy
Interns, and Pharmacy Technicians. "
What insights do you have for
other states that may be facing
similar challenges?
My advice when facing a major issue
is to bring the issue to a committee
of stakeholders. Concerning working
conditions, the Board's Legislative and
Regulatory Subcommittee conducted
a workplace survey last year pertaining
to the pharmacy practice environment.
The subcommittee is also looking at
other jurisdictions' laws and regulations,
alongside the survey results, and will
develop policy change recommendations
on the pharmacy practice environment.
4 | SEPTEMBER 2023
Innovations-Magazine-September-2023

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