State Rep. Cam Cavitt today celebrated the overwhelming support in the House for his plan to make license renewal easier for Michigan pharmacists.

“A lot of people have reached out to me about lack of healthcare access in Northern Michigan,” said Cavitt, (R-Cheboygan). “I’m proud to have taken the lead at the state level to ensure that we are receiving the best standard of pharmaceutical care that we can.”

House Bill 4932 would allow pharmacists renewing their license in the state to complete 100% of their renewal courses online or through electronic media.

“This is a basic way to help our pharmacists complete their renewal training in a more practical manner,” Cavitt said. “Pharmacists are not operating on patients directly, so there is no reason to mandate that they must renew their licenses through in-person lessons. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Cavitt went on to highlight the ways in which this bill would help rural communities.

“This bill takes a burden off our local pharmacists and gives more pharmacists an incentive to operate in the places that need them the most,” Cavitt said. “We are losing pharmacies in Northeast Michigan, and people are losing access to the quality medical care that they need to survive. In some of our rural areas, pharmacists may have to drive hours to attend courses for license renewal. It’s completely unnecessary. We have the technology today to ensure that our pharmacists are being accurately credentialed without forcing them to drive long distances away from their homes to attend training programs.”

The bill passed the House with unanimous bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate Health Policy Committee for further consideration.