Expansion of community pharmacies' role in public vaccine delivery to children: Opportunities and need.

ABSTRACT

Despite the positive impact pharmacists have had on access to vaccines, only a limited number of community pharmacists and pharmacies are able to participate in most federal- and state-supported vaccine programs. In this commentary we (1) review vaccination services currently provided by community pharmacists in the United States, (2) highlight regulatory, reimbursement, and role-based barriers to community pharmacists' participation in the vaccines for children (VFC) program, a cornerstone program to support vaccinations of children in the United States, and (3) suggest changes to support and improve VFC participation for all health care providers. For the purposes of this commentary, community pharmacies are defined as retail pharmacies not associated with a health care system, hospital, or clinic.