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With a new executive order, patients who can’t get a doctor’s appointment won’t have to worry about losing access to their prescriptions.
Gov. Brian Kemp issued two executive orders Friday, March 20, one order authorizing the transfer of more than $19.5 million from the Governor’s Emergency Fund and the second order to reduce “regulations to assist the state’s response to the spread” of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
The first executive order transferred $19,552,646 from the emergency fund.
According to Gov. Kemp’s office, the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency and the Georgia Department of Public Health have purchased that amount in medical supplies and equipment.
In the second executive order, all Georgia licensed pharmacists are permitted to “dispense a 90-day supply of a prescription drug in the event that the patient has no remaining refills and the pharmacist is unable to contact the issuing practitioner to obtain refill authorization.”
Refills covered by the order are allowed only once per-prescription. Pharmacists are also allowed to dispense early prescription refills, but this will not apply to Schedule II controlled substances.
While complying with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Kemp urged in the executive order for counties, cities, Superior Court clerks, tax commissioners and other officials to “ensure recording offices remain open and available to receive applications and filings.”
The Department of Community Health has the authority “to require from health care facilities and providers reports confirming actions taken to assist, aid, or cope with the public health emergency on an as-needed basis,” according to the executive order.
See original story from the Gainesville Times here.