Renzo Downey
Sen. Jeff Brandes is reigniting the effort to let chiropractors give their patients vitamin shots.
The St. Petersburg Republican filed a bill (SB 1460) to that end Friday.
Under the proposal, chiropractors could prescribe medical oxygen, vitamins, minerals and a slew of other natural materials for their patients. Chiropractors would need to complete a 36-hour training program before they could administer those compounds.
Chiropractors were once authorized to give vitamin and enzyme injections, but in 1957 state law was changed to only allow oral nutritional supplements.
Since those are readily available next to the pharmacy counter in every Publix, Walgreens CVS and others statewide, chiropractors are effectively shut out of that revenue stream.
Under current law, chiropractors could only order, store and administer medical oxygen on an emergency basis. And Florida already allows pharmacists to give flu shots, and oftentimes patients are expected to inject their own drugs.
A woman visiting a fertility doctor, for instance, may be sent home with a prescription for IVF hormone treatment. When she picks up the syringe from the pharmacy, she’ll be expected to self-administer the drug after only a few minutes of training.
The bill would also repeal the voluntary registration of chiropractic assistants and would allow for chiropractors to complete 20 hours of their required 40 hours of continuing education online.
Brandes and Winter Springs Republican Rep. David Smith filed that legislation ahead of the 2020 Session, but neither proposal made any headway in the committee process.
The Florida Chiropractic Physician Association (FCPA) backed the bills last year, arguing that allowing a trained professional to give the injection is safer for patients. The practice is currently legal in Oklahoma, Idaho, New Mexico and Utah.
Last year, the Legislature also expanded the scope of practice for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and others with top level nursing degrees. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed that into law last year, as well as a separate bill allowing pharmacists to test and treat chronic conditions like asthma, arthritis and obesity, as well as test for and treat ailments like the flu, strep throat, lice and skin conditions like ringworm and athlete’s foot.
