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S 2856Pharmaceuticals

Businesses and Professions - Pharmacies

This bill allows pharmacists to administer all recommended vaccinations, not just flu and COVID-19, to children ages three through eighteen.

Held for study
Population
Affected
25
Email Legislator
Introduced Mar 4, 2026Committee Senate Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This legislation expands the authority of pharmacists to administer vaccinations to children between the ages of three and eighteen. Currently, pharmacists are limited to administering flu and COVID-19 shots to this age group. Under this bill, pharmacists would be permitted to administer any routine, scheduled, or recommended immunizations. The bill mandates that parental consent be obtained prior to vaccination. Additionally, pharmacists must report the immunization to the Department of Health within seven days and notify the child's primary care provider within fourteen days.

For younger readers

This new rule changes where kids can get their shots. Right now, if you are between 3 and 18 years old, you usually go to your regular doctor for most of your shots, except for flu or COVID shots which you can get at a pharmacy. This law says that pharmacists can now give you other normal shots that kids need for school or health. Your parents still have to say it is okay first. The pharmacist also has to tell your regular doctor that you got the shot so they know.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
PharmacistsChildren (ages 3-18)ParentsPrimary Care ProvidersPediatricians
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
None
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Increases healthcare equity by providing more accessible vaccination points for low-income families who may have difficulty scheduling or traveling to traditional doctor appointments during working hours.
  • Strengthens public health and community immunity by removing barriers to vaccination, potentially raising immunization rates among school-aged children.
  • Reduces the strain on primary care clinics and safety-net providers, allowing physicians to focus on more complex medical needs for disadvantaged populations.
  • Promotes the fragmentation of healthcare by moving services away from the "medical home" model, potentially causing children to miss comprehensive wellness checks that address social determinants of health.
  • Increases the revenue and influence of large corporate pharmacy chains at the expense of community health centers and non-profit pediatric practices.
  • Could lead to gaps in medical records if communication between corporate pharmacies and primary care providers fails, potentially impacting the continuity of care for vulnerable children.
For Conservatives
  • Increases market competition in the healthcare sector by breaking the monopoly physicians often have on administering routine childhood vaccinations.
  • Expands consumer choice and convenience, allowing families to make healthcare decisions that fit their schedules without government-imposed bottlenecks at doctor's offices.
  • Explicitly codifies the requirement for parental consent, reinforcing the legal standing that medical decisions for children remain the purview of the parent, not the state or provider.
  • Expands the reach of government surveillance by mandating that private interactions be electronically reported to a state government database (Department of Health) within seven days.
  • Further empowers the pharmaceutical industrial complex by creating more distribution channels for their products, potentially incentivizing unnecessary medical interventions.
  • Undermines the traditional doctor-patient relationship, treating medical care as a mere transaction rather than a personalized service provided by a trusted family physician.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 4 additions · 4 deletions

SECTION 1. Section 5-19.1-31 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-19.1 entitled "Pharmacies" is hereby amended to read as follows: 5-19.1-31. Administration of influenza and COVID-19 immunizations to individuals between the ages of three (3) years and eighteen (18) years, inclusive Administration of routine, scheduled, or recommended immunizations to individuals between the ages of three

(3) and eighteen (18) years, inclusive.

(a) Parental consent shall be required for all pharmacist-administered immunizations for individuals under the age of eighteen (18) years.

(b) The department of health shall require a pharmacist who is authorized to administer influenza and COVID-19 immunizations to individuals between the ages of three (3) years and eighteen (18) years, inclusive, pursuant to § 5-19.1-2, to electronically report to the department all immunizations administered within seven (7) days of administration in the format and for the populations required by the department. (c)(1) The department of health shall require a pharmacist who is authorized to administer influenza and COVID-19 immunizations to individuals between the ages of three (3) years and eighteen (18) years, inclusive, pursuant to § 5-19.1-2 to provide notification of a patient’s immunization to the patient’s primary care provider, if known, within fourteen (14) days of administration.

(2) The department of health’s rules and regulations shall include provisions to ensure that the administering pharmacist makes a good-faith effort to obtain information relating to the identity of a patient’s primary care provider or primary care practice, for the purposes of fulfilling the reporting requirements of subsection (c)(1) herein. If a patient does not have an existing relationship with a primary care provider or primary care practice, the administering pharmacist shall proceed with the reporting requirements contained in subsection (b) of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.