Emergency supplies.

Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation by the State Department of Public Health of health facilities, including, but not limited to, skilled nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities. Existing Pharmacy Law provides for the licensing and regulation of the practice of pharmacy under the jurisdiction of the California State Board of Pharmacy and establishes requirements for the dispensing of drugs. Existing law authorizes a pharmacy to furnish dangerous drugs or devices to a licensed health facility for storage in a secure emergency pharmaceutical supplies container that is maintained within the facility under regulations of the department. Existing law limits the number of oral dosage form and suppository dosage form drugs for storage within this container to 24. It also authorizes the department to limit the number of doses of each drug available to a skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility to not more than 4 doses of any separate drug dosage form in each emergency supply. This bill would increase the storage container limit to 48, as specified. The bill would also increase the authorized dosage amount available to a skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility.