Unitek College Blog

A ballot measure backed by the retail giants Wal-Mart and Walgreen’s aims to change a nearly 50-year-old law that requires North Dakota pharmacies be majority-owned by independent pharmacists. Since 1963, the North Dakota Pharmacy Ownership Law it has barred hospitals, chain drug stores and retail businesses without majority-ownership by local pharmacists from operating pharmacies in the state.

North Dakota’s pharmacy ownership law is the only one of its kind in the United States. Its unique provisions have allowed independently-owned pharmacies to thrive throughout the state. According to figures published by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), nearly 90 percent of North Dakota’s pharmacies are independently-owned and operated. By comparison, only around 30 percent of the pharmacies throughout the rest of the country operate under independent ownership.

With financial backing from Walgreen’s and Wal-Mart, the group North Dakotans for Affordable Healthcare hopes to repeal the law through the passage of a ballot measure in the upcoming November election. After months of petitioning North Dakota voters, the group confirms it has exceeded the amount of signatures required to have their initiative placed on the state’s 2010 election ballot.

According to the group’s website, the pharmacy ownership law unfairly restricts the sale of generic prescription drugs in North Dakota by non-pharmacist-owned businesses. As a result, the group claims, North Dakota residents continue to pay more for medications than consumers in other states.

Despite claims that the pharmacy ownership law prevents North Dakota prescription drug users from saving money, a 2009 report issued by ISLR found that repealing the law may actually cost the state millions in lost tax revenue and related economic activity. The report also said passage of the repeal would jeopardize local pharmacies that serve the state’s many rural communities.

Recent efforts by the North Dakotans for Affordable Healthcare group aren’t the first attempt to overturn the pharmacy ownership law. The law was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in the 1970s and was the subject of an attempted repeal by members of the North Dakota State Legislature in 2009.

Although its pharmacy ownership laws are unique, North Dakota, like all other states, relies on the expertise of pharmacy professionals to provide valuable prescription-related services to its residents.

Throughout California, the demand for qualified professionals, like San Francisco pharmacy technicians, continues to grow. The state requires more Sacramento pharmacy technicians and PTs in other locations to assist consumers with their prescription medications. Now is a perfect time to pursue a career in this expanding field. Discover today how quality training from Unitek College can jumpstart your career as a Bay Area pharmacy technician.

For additional information on North Dakota’s Pharmacy Ownership Law and the opposing ballot initiative sponsored by North Dakotans for Affordable Healthcare, please visit:
http://www.newrules.org/retail/rules/pharmacy-ownership-laws/pharmacy-ownership-law-north-dakota
http://ndrx.org/
http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/07/21/nd-initiative-to-change-pharmacy-law/

According to the Contra Costa times, enrollment in vocational training programs such as Medical Assistant is soaring. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Sharae Gandy and Donna Gutierrez are victims of the depressed housing market who are turning their misfortunes into new opportunities. More than a year ago, both women enjoyed well-paying positions in financial institutions that specialized in home loans. When the economy soured, they were laid off. “My job was outsourced to Texas,” said Gandy, 39, who lives in El Sobrante and was let go from her job as a loan-closing specialist during downsizing at Wachovia in 2007. “I felt down because I had worked for the company for seven years. I loved the place. If that hadn’t happened, I’d probably still be there.” Gutierrez, a 61-year-old Danville resident, was an executive assistant at E-Loan in Pleasanton. “I was one of 500 people let go at E-Loan,” said Gutierrez, who earned $55,000. “I looked for a year and six months and couldn’t find anything comparable.”

After some soul-searching, both women — along with many other people laid off in the past two years — enrolled in a clinical medical assistant class in the Mt. Diablo school district’s adult education program. Now they are excited about starting careers in a field that is growing, while other businesses are shrinking. “I will start out making $18 an hour, so it will be a considerable cut,” Gutierrez said, after another student practiced checking her ears during the hands-on class. “But, toward the end of my career, I really am looking forward to personal satisfaction.”

Leslie Rodriguez, a 30-year-old Brentwood resident, completed the medical assistant program in 2007 after losing her job managing an auto repair shop in Antioch. She was hired as a medical assistant pediatric adviser in a Pleasant Hill doctor’s office, where she worked as an extern through the adult education program. “I’m so glad to have gotten into this field,” Rodriguez said. “I feel pretty comfortable and stable in it. I don’t feel like I’m going to come in tomorrow and lose my job. There’s something new every day.”

With the state cutting college and university funds, adult education offers a cheap and flexible alternative for people who want to take classes, but who also want to get into college immediately. Rodriguez and some medical assistant students said they ultimately intend to pursue nursing degrees, but they wanted to get their feet wet by starting off in jobs more entry level in nature.

Several students in the program’s medical and dental assistant classes said they saw their job losses as blessings in disguise, which have led them to new careers where they will thrive. “Not being able to work, this has kind have given me an opportunity,” Gutierrez said. “If I’m not going to be able to make big money, I might as well be doing something I’m loving.”

Unitek College would like to wish you a Happy New Year filled with happiness, success, and joy!!!