[Colorado-Talk] Accessible Prescription Labeling Bill in Colorado: Hearing Is Heppening Tomorrow

[Curtis Chong]

Greetings and salutations:

 

The House Health and Human Services Committee is holding a hearing tomorrow
morning, immediately after adjournment of the House general session. I am
attaching a copy of HB24-1115, the accessible prescription labels bill. 

Here is a link to the Colorado General Assembly testimony page where you
would register to testify on a given bill or issue.

 

https://www2.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2024A/commsumm.nsf/signIn.xsp

 

The committee is Health and Human Services, and the bill number is
HB24-1115. The date is Tuesday, February 13, on or about 9:30.

 

Here is the information provided by the NFB of Colorado in support of
HB24-1115.

 

________________________________________

 

SUPPORT PRESCRIPTION DRUG LABEL ACCESSIBILITY - HB24-1115

 

The National Federation of the Blind of Colorado has a vast array of
technical know-how, our lived experience, the legislative experience, and
our commitment to bring to bear on problems facing the blind of our state.
For all Coloradans, knowing what our medications are, as well as the
frequency and dosages of each are a critical matter of health maintenance,
potentially with life and death consequences. However, information printed
on prescription drug labels is not consistently and readily available to
blind Coloradans, even though technologies and approaches are available to
provide critical prescription label information to the blind. Blind
Coloradans cannot be confident that all of the pharmacies from whom they may
acquire their medications will use any of these technologies and approaches,
let alone tell them about ways in which the pharmacy can provide
prescription label information to customers who are unable to see the
printed label. In short, pharmacies in Colorado are not required to provide
prescription label information in ways that work for people who are blind or
visually impaired, and there is no consistent way in which the pharmacies
are required to provide this critical information.

 

HB24-1115 requires pharmacies to notify an individual that identifies as
blind or otherwise print-disabled about accessible methods of accessing
critical medication information in formats to include braille, large-print,
electronic, or any other method recommended by the United States Access
Board. The state pharmacy board may exempt from the requirements of the bill
a pharmacy that is a sole proprietorship with no more than 2 pharmacists for
which, upon request of the pharmacy, the Board determines compliance would
create an undue burden. Overall, this bill will provide critical information
such as usage, warnings, and any other critical information available to
sighted persons taking the same medication.

 

________________________________________

 

Use the link above if you are interested in supporting HB24-1115. Testimony
can be provided in writing, in person, and via Zoom.

 

Kind regards,

 

Curtis Chong

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20240212/5178505a/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: HB24-1115 Prescription Drug Label Accessibility.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 148644 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/colorado-talk_nfbnet.org/attachments/20240212/5178505a/attachment.pdf>