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Releases & Statements
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
December 9, 2008
Contact: Sarah Krauss
(212) 669-4193; (917) 541-0936
Release #:44-2008
City Pharmacies Must Provide Free, Accessible Language Assistance and Translation Services for Prescriptions
Immigrants at Risk Because of Medicines with English-only Labels and Instructions
MANHATTAN – Public Advocate Gotbaum, Councilmember Gioia, Make the Road New York, and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest today warned New Yorkers with limited English proficiency (LEP) about the dangers posed by language barriers when filling prescriptions. Public Advocate Gotbaum introduced legislation in October of this year known as the Language Access in Pharmacies Act of 2008 (LAPA), which will require city pharmacies to post signs indicating that individuals who speak limited or no English have a right to free, accessible language assistance and translation services when filling prescriptions.
New York City has over 1.8 million residents with LEP. Many of these LEP New Yorkers could be putting their lives at risk by taking prescription medications without a clear understanding of the directions and warnings associated with their use.
Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum said, “This is not rocket science. Clearly understanding a prescription you are given is a basic right, yet pharmacies all around the city are allowing New Yorkers to take home medication with instructions they can’t understand. We can’t continue to allow so many New Yorkers to be put in danger every time they fill a prescription. My bill will guarantee that all New Yorkers have equal access to pharmacy services.”
Councilman Eric Gioia said, “The ability to understand one's medication is a basic right that all New Yorkers should enjoy - regardless of what language you speak. English only health information doesn't live up to the inclusive spirit of New York, and sets up a dangerous and unnecessary barrier for thousands of hard working New Yorkers who take prescription medication. We should be doing everything possible to provide equal access to health services for all New Yorkers."
Andrew Friedman, Executive Director, Make the Road New York said, “Medication can make you well, but it can also make you sick, if taken improperly. Millions of New Yorkers need basic interpretation and translation services when they go to get prescriptions filled. When it comes to language access and pharmacies, a penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Nisha Agarwal, lawyer for NYLPI said, “Patients have a right of equal access to information about the medications they are prescribed. Many pharmacies in New York have been systematically depriving non-English speakers of their rights and this law provides an enforcement mechanism that will adequately punish violating pharmacies for their neglect.”
Pharmacies are currently not required to provide translation services for their customers. This lack of information can be especially dangerous for the large immigrant population. Upon enactment, the law will take effect immediately for any pharmacy that has five or more locations. It will become effective in three years for pharmacies that have two-to-four locations. It will become effective in four years for pharmacies with only one location. A 2006 study of language access in NYC pharmacies conducted by the New York Academy of Medicine found that 88% of pharmacies encountered LEP patients on a daily basis. However, 50% of the pharmacists surveyed never translated prescription labels or translated less than once a week, despite the clear need for this service. In 2007, Make the Road New York filed a complaint about the lack of translation services at city pharmacies with the State Attorney General’s Office. In November, 2008, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that two of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States – CVS and Rite Aid – have entered into agreements with his office to provide New York customers with prescription medication instructions in their primary language. However, Make the Road New York estimated that over 75% of New York City pharmacies are unaffected by this agreement.
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