About: Emily's Law

Emily's Law (Emily's Act) is an informal name given to Ohio Senate Bill 203 (SB 203), which was signed into law in 2009. The law is named in honor of Emily Jerry, a two-year-old who died in 2006 from a medication error during her last round of chemotherapy at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. The law: "require(s) that pharmacy technicians be at least 18 years of age, register with the State Board of Pharmacy and pass a Board-approved competency exam; the legislation also includes specific provisions related to technician training/education, criminal records and approved disciplinary actions." Previously, "people with only a high school degree could walk into a job as a technician at a major hospital and begin working on medications with minimal training."