Content about Washington State Department

May 14, 2012
Reports: Washington state pertussis cases increased tenfold since May 2011

Budget cuts have added an extra challenge to the response of health authorities in Washington state to an epidemic of whooping cough, according to published reports.

NEW YORK — Budget cuts have added an extra challenge to the response of health authorities in Washington state to an epidemic of whooping cough, according to published reports.

According to a report by the Washington State Department of Health, there were 1,284 cases of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, reported so far for 2012, compared with 128 during the same period last year. No deaths have been reported so far.

May 8, 2012
Walgreens raises awareness around whooping-cough vaccine availability in Washington

With epidemic levels of whooping cough reported in the state of Washington that are creating the need for more immunizations resources, Walgreens on Tuesday announced that it is offering immunizations that provide protection against the highly contagious respiratory infection (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis-Tdap vaccine) at all of its 129 locations statewide.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — With epidemic levels of whooping cough reported in the state of Washington that are creating the need for more immunizations resources, Walgreens on Tuesday announced that it is offering immunizations that provide protection against the highly contagious respiratory infection (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis-Tdap vaccine) at all of its 129 locations statewide.

January 7, 2010
Bartell to cease filling Medicaid prescriptions at 15 locations

The Medicaid storm is still intense in Washington as Bartell Drugs has announced that —...

NEW YORK The Medicaid storm is still intense in Washington as Bartell Drugs has announced that — as of Feb. 1 — it will no longer fill Medicaid prescriptions at 15 of its 57 stores. Limiting access to pharmacies with its payment cuts could spell an increase in other healthcare costs — costs that represent the majority of health expenditures.

As stated in the article, the decision stems from a court decision in Massachusetts in September 2009 that reduced the industry pricing standard.

January 11, 2009
Washington pharmacists can prescribe antiviral drugs

Under current U.S. laws, only doctors and nurse practitioners can write prescriptions, but a limited...

Under current U.S. laws, only doctors and nurse practitioners can write prescriptions, but a limited contract between the Washington State Department of Health and pharmacy agencies to allow pharmacists there to prescribe antivirals in the event of a flu pandemic marks a major expansion of the role of community pharmacists in the United States.