How Community Pharmacies Have Become Key Vaccination Destinations | NCPDP 2025
Brigid Groves, PharmD, MS, Vice President of Professional Affairs at APhA, discusses how the pharmacist’s role in immunization has adapted in recent history.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic and state regulations increasing their roles, community pharmacists have become the most convenient and accessible health care providers for patients seeking vaccination.
At the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) 2025 Annual Conference, held May 5 to May 7 in Scottsdale, Arizona, Brigid Groves, PharmD, MS, Vice President of Professional Affairs at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), hosted a session titled “Using Geographic Information Systems and Maps to Improve Immunization Practices in the United States.”
Groves caught up with Drug Topics to provide further insights from her presentation and discuss the increasingly prominent role of community pharmacists within vaccine uptake in the US. As a representative of APhA, Groves is working with pharmacists from across the country to collaborate and connect on the best ways to improve immunization rates.
One example of Groves’ work with APhA is highlighted through their development of geographic information systems and maps to help community pharmacy locations better identify opportunities to increase vaccination rates. Before diving deep into how these systems can benefit pharmacies—in turn benefitting public health as a whole—Groves joined us to talk about the importance of pharmacists themselves when discussing immunization.
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