Maine Feeling Effect of Nationwide Pharmacist Shortage

Some pharmacies in Maine are limiting their hours or temporarily closing "on short notice" due to a statewide pharmacist shortage, the AP/Boston Globe reports. At any given time, about 12 of the state's 280 pharmacies are not filling prescriptions because of the shortage, and the state has received at least a dozen complaints about pharmacies closing "without notice." Anne Head, director of the state's Office of Licensing and Registration, said, "We continue to find that the lack of coverage is sporadic. It happens at different times of the week and different times of the day." A recent HHS survey found that full- and part-time pharmacist job openings increased from 2,700 in 1998 to almost 7,000 in 2000 and that the increase in prescription drug use has worsened the shortage. The nationwide shortage is expected to "get worse" in the next year, as pharmacy schools have lengthened their programs from five to six years, leaving this year without a graduating class (AP/Boston Globe, 4/15).