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Natural Awakenings Fairfield & Southern Litchfield Counties

CT Action Alert Update

While the State of Connecticut was one of the first of the now 17 states (and the District of Columbia) to provide for licensure of naturopathic physicians (NDs), the updated naturopathic scope of practice in Connecticut but still does not allow for prescriptive authority. 

Although Connecticut’s naturopathic physicians were not entirely successful in their latest legislative push to get limited prescriptive authority, they did receive a mechanism or a path to move toward receiving the rights. The language in the current bill calls for the state health department to establish a committee to consider several details. These include investigating the education and examination requirements and other qualifications necessary to allow persons licensed to practice naturopathy—pursuant to Chapter 373 of the general statutes—to prescribe, dispense and administer prescription drugs consistent with their scope of practice. Secondly, the committee must look into the development of a naturopathic formulary of prescription drugs for persons licensed to practice naturopathy; those persons must meet specified educational and examination requirements or other qualifications to prescribe, dispense or administer.

This path toward possible prescriptive rights in Connecticut is similar to the process under which NDs in other states—such as Montana and Vermon—received drug authority, explains Rick Liva, RPh, ND, the Connecticut Naturopathic Physicians Association’s president and legislative chair. The state health department committee’s process will likely begin in June. 

“Many legislators supported us and spoke on our behalf to get this through the House and Senate. The lieutenant governor went to bat for us as well…The job is not yet finished but I am optimistic we will get meaningful drug authority in the end,” said Liva.

Constituents can help to promote prescriptive rights for their NDs by contacting and/or meeting with their state senators and representatives in their respective districts and ask them to support the legislation. Supporters can also contribute financially to the legislative fund (CNPAOnline.org/Advocacy) to help push for the prescriptive authority. 

For more information, visit CNPAOnline.org/Legislative-Action.