LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– New prescription requirements at pharmacies in Louisiana have complicated access to COVID vaccines, prompting local doctors to step in with solutions.

Doctors for Access, a grassroots volunteer network, offered a free pop-up clinic at the Lafayette Internal Medicine Clinic to provide prescriptions necessary for obtaining COVID vaccines, addressing the gap created by the new pharmacy rules.

Dr. Britni Hebert, a Geriatric and Internal Medicine Specialist, said the prescription requirements create a barrier to a lot of families in Lafayette and surrounding areas.

“They’re having to wait six months for a new doctor’s appointment, some people can’t access a doctor at all and there aren’t enough doctors for all of the residents in Lafayette or Louisiana,” said Dr. Hebert.

Hebert emphasizes the importance of COVID vaccinations, citing that nearly 50,000 Americans died from COVID last year. She advocates for easier access to vaccines, highlighting their role in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

“Covid vaccines are associated with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke with each additional booster, these are life protecting, health protecting vaccines and everyone deserves access to that if they choose it for themselves,” Dr. Hebert said.

David and Carmen Shively, elderly residents at risk for COVID, stress the necessity of booster shots for protection, noting the current requirement for prescriptions as a barrier.

“We wanted to get them for this coming year and the only way to do it now is with a prescription, my children are in the medical field, so we’ve got to keep safe and healthy,” said David Shively.

Dr. Hebert calls on lawmakers to allow pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines without prescriptions, similar to practices in other states, to save lives and alleviate pressure on hospitals.

“We need the state legislature to help us, like many other states have done, an executive order allowing pharmacists to give this COVID vaccine without a prescription will save lives and free up hospital beds this yea, we beg of our legislators to consider doing an executive order to help us help our community,” said Dr.Hebert.

The initiative by Doctors for Access aims to bridge the gap in vaccine accessibility, while Dr. Hebert continues to push for legislative changes to improve public health outcomes.

For information on future prescription events with Doctors for Access, click here.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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