I didn't even know the White House had its own pharmacy. What do they need a pharmacy for?
The Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General (DoD OIG) has issued a damning report outlining significant mismanagement at the White House pharmacy, affecting operations during the Trump administration. Uncovered findings reveal a series of lapses in protocols ranging from prescription handling to the dispensation of controlled substances, with the report laying bare the extent of systemic problems within the White House Medical Unit.
Issues included inaccurate manual prescription records, improper medication disposal practices, and unverified distribution of prescriptions.
“If this had been a traditional pharmacy, they certainly would have been cited by their state board of pharmacy,” said Douglas Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, “and there’s probably even an outside chance that they’d be shut down by their state board of pharmacy, if this was a pharmacy operating outside of the cocoon of the White House,” he said.
Apparently, this report was made in May 2020, but wasn't released until years later.
Experts have strongly reacted to these findings, with Douglas Hoey, CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association, stating that a pharmacy with such violations could potentially be shut down by state pharmacy boards. The report has also faced criticism for its delayed release, lingering in review from May 2020 until July 2023, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.
The report also indicated that White House personnel received medical care at Walter Reed which was billed to the military, even though they were civilians. The President, of course, can receive free medical care at Walter Reed, but that privilege doesn't extend to the White House staff, as far as I know.
But if they were handing out drugs like candy at the White House during the Trump years, that would explain a few things.
