Oregon pharmacists to prescribe birth control starting January 1Portland Business Journal (OR) (12/29/15) Hayes, Elizabeth

Beginning in January, pharmacists in Oregon will be able prescribe birth control. Under the new measure, pharmacists will be able to dispense a one-month supply of birth control and the hormonal contraceptive patch to women who fill out a comprehensive questionnaire. A task force convened by the Oregon Board of Pharmacy was established to help implement the new measure. The task force worked to develop training modules for pharmacists, who must take a 5-hour training session before they can dispense contraceptives. Of the 4,000 licensed pharmacists in the state, about 150 have completed the training since it was introduced in November. According to Marcus Watt, executive director of the state Board of Pharmacy, an estimated 800 pharmacists are expected to have completed the training by the end of February. California was the first state to pass a law allowing pharmacists to dispense OTC birth control; however, Oregon is the first state to put such a measure into practice.