Congresswoman Suzan DelBene Visits Long-Term Care Pharmacy

DATE: February 1, 2019

Redmond, WA –Congresswoman Suzan DelBene toured the long-term care (LTC) pharmacy facility Consonus Pharmacy today to see first-hand the differences between long-term care pharmacies vs. retail, online and mail-order counterparts. The event also included a meeting with Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) industry leaders to discuss policies relevant to the LTC pharmacy community.

“As someone who is committed to ensuring people have access to high quality, affordable health care, I was pleased to visit Consonus Pharmacy and see the important work they’re doing,” said Congresswoman DelBene. “The team is providing a critical service to long-term care patients, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about their efforts.”

“Our team appreciated the time Rep. DelBene took to visit our facility to see first-hand the quality pharmaceutical care we provide,” said Neil Marshall, President of Consonus Pharmacy. “We appreciate the Congresswoman’s interest in LTC issues and her concern for the thousands of patients we serve here in Washington as well as the millions of patients nationwide who depend on LTC pharmacies.”

“On behalf of all SCPC members, we appreciate Consonus hosting this event and furthering our efforts to educate lawmakers, like Congresswoman DelBene, about the unique needs and capabilities of long-term care pharmacies,” said Alan Rosenbloom, President and CEO of SCPC.

Unlike retail pharmacies, which are open to the public and sell a wide variety of products, LTC pharmacies are designed for large volume, efficient drug distribution in a highly specified manner. The requirements imposed on LTC pharmacies are significantly more stringent than those imposed on retail pharmacies, including intensive pharmacist involvement in medication and patient care management.

“I look forward to partnering with Congresswoman DelBene to help address many of the issues LTC pharmacies currently face,” concluded Rosenbloom, “chief among them the need to lower the cost of drug prices and provide a federal statutory definition of LTC pharmacies.”

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The Senior Care Pharmacy Coalition (SCPC) is the only national organization exclusively representing the interests of LTC pharmacies. Its members operate in all 50 states and serve 825,000 patients daily in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities across the country. Visit seniorcarepharmacies.org  to learn more.