New Jersey Legislative Bills A. 5445 and S. 3841 would trivialize very real vaccine risks and serious reactions by allowing optometrists to vaccinate.

Previously, under the Emergency Health Powers Act, optometrists were allowed to administer immunizations against a coronavirus or influenza during a public health emergency involving an outbreak or epidemic  limited to administering immunizations against the specific disease for which the public health emergency was declared.  Those receiving vaccines from optometrists had to be 18 years or older and the records were required to be reported to the New Jersey Immunization Information System for inclusion in the patients registry.

A. 5445 and S. 3841 would: 

• Remove the public health emergency requirement for optometrist vaccine administration
• Allow optometrists to administer vaccines to patients over 18 years old even when no public health emergency is declared
• Expand the number of vaccines optometrists are able to give by adding the varicella-zoster vaccines to the list of vaccines optometrists can give
• Continue to require that all immunization records be reported to the New Jersey Immunization Information System for inclusion in the patients registry

All immunization records would be forwarded to the state vaccine database tracking system. 

Any time optometrists are allowed to vaccinate, it creates significant risks.  Optometrists are not qualified to recognize or handle serious adverse reactions, nor are they likely to have full knowledge of patient or family history. 

The Weston A. Price Foundation does not take a position on other sections of the bill dealing strictly with eye care procedures.

Please speak up! 

TAKE ACTION

1. Contact your New Jersey State Senator and two Assembly Members and urge them to oppose A. 5445 and S. 3841.

You can look up who represents you here:

By municipality: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/municipalities.asp

Interactive map: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/districts/njmap210.html

Calls are more effective than emails and only take a few minutes.  Below is a sample script along with additional Talking Points.  Use your own words when you call or email a personal message is always more effective than a form message!

SAMPLE SCRIPT:

Hi, my name is ____ and I am a constituent.  I am calling to ask Senator (or Assembly Member) ____ to oppose A. 5445 and S. 3841, which would allow optometrists to administer vaccines.

I...