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Kentucky pharmacists could continue vaccinating children under bill advancing from committee
House Bill 274 is “not a mandate,” sponsor Rep. Danny Bentley, R-Russell, told members of the House Committee on Health Services. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Sarah Ladd)
FRANKFORT — A House bill aimed at addressing what the sponsor says is a “public health crisis” when it comes to routine, childhood vaccines, passed a Senate committee Wednesday 9-2.?
House Bill 274 would allow Kentucky pharmacies to continue administering vaccines to children ages 5-17 with parental or guardian consent, continuing a COVID-19-era federal permission slip letting pharmacists help fill public health gaps.?
Now that the bill passed the Senate Health Services Committee, it can go to the Senate floor for consideration. Should it pass there, it can go to Gov. Andy Beshear’s desk for a signature or veto.?
The House unanimously approved the bill in early February.?
The sponsor, Rep. Danny Bentley, R-Russell, previously said he wants the bill to help counties without pediatricians. The bill is not a vaccine mandate.?
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Sarah Ladd
Sarah Ladd is a Louisville-based journalist from West Kentucky who's covered everything from crime to higher education. She spent nearly two years on the metro breaking news desk at The Courier Journal. In 2020, she started reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and has covered health ever since. As the Kentucky Lantern's health reporter, she focuses on mental health, LGBTQ+ issues, children's welfare, COVID-19 and more.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
