January 12 marks National Pharmacists Day – a time to recognize and thank pharmacists for the contributions they make in health care. It also marks the beginning of the new  Arizona state legislative session. This year, the Arizona Pharmacy Association (AzPA) is asking legislators to support bills that would modernize practice laws for pharmacists so they can better serve patients. 

As chief executive officer of AzPA, I know firsthand the impact our state’s more than 10,000 pharmacists have on the lives of Arizona patients. But state laws could allow them to do more, and consequently improve our health care system. 

Pharmacists are trained at the doctorate-level and are positioned to address some of the most pressing health care issues today. Doctors of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), like other providers, including physicians and nurses, have one primary goal in mind: using their training and knowledge to improve patient health outcomes. 

These efforts would allow pharmacists to practice to the fullest extent of their training and education. At a time when patient needs far outweigh provider supply, it is imperative that all health care providers are allowed to do their part to care for patients. By removing unnecessary regulations, we can better utilize the pharmacist workforce, reduce burdens for our doctors, and remove barriers to care for patients. 

The proposed legislation would allow pharmacists in Arizona to test for common viruses – such as strep throat, the flu, and Covid-19 – and provide widely accepted treatments.  Across the country, most states allow pharmacists to conduct these tests and provide treatment, including neighboring Nevada, California, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. It is time for Arizona to join those ranks. 

Currently Arizona pharmacists can conduct certain tests, but they can’t provide treatment if the test comes back positive. Instead, the pharmacist must send that patient to a clinic or urgent care facility to receive the same test, get the same result, and be prescribed the same medication that a pharmacist could have initially. The patient then must come back to the pharmacy to fill that medication, creating more hurdles for sick patients and wasting valuable time. 

Wait times to see a primary provider in our state can be weeks or even months long, while urgent care visits often result in hours of waiting before being seen. In many cases,  pharmacists could perform the exact same test and provide the exact same medication from a single location and in far less time, more conveniently and most importantly, more affordably, for patients.

Doctors of Pharmacy are trained to do much more than dispense drugs. In a time in which patients are finding it harder and harder to access timely care, we must do all we can to remove unnecessary barriers.  

If a patient wants to avoid waiting for hours at an urgent care clinic and instead go to a local pharmacy to get a test and receive treatment from a trained provider, they should have the option. Nearly nine in ten Americans live within five miles of a community pharmacy. The key is ensuring patients have a choice, especially in rural areas where there are far more pharmacies than there are doctors’ offices. 

As we celebrate National Pharmacist Day and the beginning of the 2026 legislative session, I urge citizens and state lawmakers to support these efforts. Together, we can make positive changes that will benefit the health care system, our pharmacists, and the many great Arizona patients, for years to come.

Garet Turner is chief executive officer of the Arizona Pharmacy Association.