Shoppers Drug Mart has opened its first pharmacy care clinics in Ontario.
On Tuesday, the company announced it opened the first two clinics located at Headon Plaza in Burlington and Meadowvale Town Centre in Mississauga.
Shoppers Drug Mart said the clinics will offer patients “access to a range of pharmacy healthcare services, including the assessment and treatment of injuries and common ailments such as urinary tract infections and pink eye.”
“The clinics are fully integrated with the pharmacies, which have undergone an extensive redesign to improve the overall patient experience,” a press release read.
According to Shoppers Drug Mart, the dispensary and clinic spaces have been redesigned with “patient-friendly features,” including a counter for prescriptions, secure lockers for prescription refill orders, a care concierge, child-friendly consultation rooms and ‘Let’s Talk’ spaces for counselling.
Jeff Leger President of Shoppers Drug Mart and a pharmacist, said the expanded scope of practice “has allowed us to reimagine the role pharmacists can play in the delivery of healthcare in Ontario,”
“That’s why we’re changing how we support pharmacists in delivering care in the province,” Leger said in a statement. “Whether through the clinic or the dispensary, we’re making it easier for Ontarians to access the pharmacy healthcare services they need.”
Shoppers Drug Mart said appointments at the clinics can be booked, but walk-ins are also welcome.
In Ontario, pharmacists are able to assess patients and prescribe medications for some minor illness and injuries. They can also administer vaccines or medications.
Ontario’s Health Minister Sylvia Jones said pharmacists are “highly trained healthcare professionals and by expanding their scope of practice, we’re helping more Ontarians access convenient care, closer to home.”
She said the new clinics “speak to the success of allowing pharmacists to prescribe medication for some of the most common ailments.”
“Thanks to this initiative, patients across Ontario are accessing care in their communities and avoiding unnecessary trips to the emergency department,” Jones said.
Pharmacist-led clinics have also been opened in Alberta and Nova Scotia, and are seeing approximately 30 patients a day on average, Shoppers Drug Mart said.
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