For nearly 20 years, my purpose as a pharmacist has been simple: to help people. Since my very first day, I have dedicated my career to serving my community, ensuring my neighbors know they have someone they can trust just around the corner.

As a specialty pharmacist, I have seen firsthand the profound impact that accessible, compassionate care can have on people’s lives, and I am proud to make that difference for patients throughout Phoenix.

Every day, I care for patients with chronic and complex conditions — many of them children — who rely on access to affordable specialty medications. Take eczema, for example. Caused by an overactive immune system, this chronic skin condition can be deeply uncomfortable. Flare ups are common and sometimes prescription medication is needed to help relieve itchiness and dry skin, which can be painful. Not to mention discolored, scaly patches of skin can be a point of insecurity for many patients, escalating the need for medication.

One of my patients, let’s call him Riley, was so self‑conscious about his eczema that he skipped school activities and wore long sleeves and pants to school — even in our Arizona heat — to hide flare ups from his classmates. It was deeply upsetting to see Riley’s condition affect his confidence.

Thankfully, my team and I were able to help Riley. We guided his mom to copay assistance programs and worked with our specialty pharmacy resources — including pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS Caremark to secure the medication he needed. 

The day Riley’s mom told me he was back to wearing t‑shirts and playing with his friends, I knew we had changed his life for the better. That’s what specialty pharmacists do every day. That’s what pharmacies across Arizona make possible.

Unfortunately, legislation like SB1545 threatens to unravel this support system. If passed, SB1545 would prohibit specialty pharmacies affiliated with PBMs from operating in Arizona. Nearly every specialty pharmacy currently serving Arizona families has this type of affiliation and would be forced to close. This would put thousands of patients like Riley at risk — not only by jeopardizing their access to essential medications, but also by severing the trusted relationships they have built with specialty pharmacists who know them and their families.

Pharmacies are cornerstones of our communities, and I am proud to serve patients in Phoenix as part of the CVS Specialty team. I know my colleagues across the state feel the same way. Together, we serve over 2.2 million patients in every corner of Arizona. Legislation like SB1545 would make it extremely difficult to continue this work, putting both the health of our patients and communities at risk.

We all want our children to grow up healthy, happy and comfortable in their own skin. We want parents to have peace of mind knowing their kids can get the medicines they need, at a price they can afford, from a pharmacist they trust. Legislation that limits the ability of pharmacists — whether in specialty settings or other pharmacies — to provide this care puts millions of Arizonans at risk. If passed, patients would be forced to navigate a fragmented health care system to find a new pharmacy — experiencing disruption at the very least and losing convenient access permanently at worst.

As someone who has made it my life’s work to help others, I urge Arizona lawmakers to reconsider SB1545 and keep pharmacies like mine — and the other pharmacies our communities rely on — open so we can keep Arizona families healthy.

Bonnie Shimko is a CVS Specialty pharmacist.