Medicine Hat’s first pharmacy care clinic opens

“They don’t know that pharmacists can manage chronic health conditions, take care of minor ailments,” Asare said.

“They don’t know that even when it comes to disease prevention, talking about vaccinations, it’s not just COVID and flu, but adults as well as children immunizations that helps in disease prevention, pharmacists can do that,” he added.

“We have the point-of-care testing when it comes to strep throat, and then when it comes to blood sugars as well as blood cholesterol.”

Asare said an expanded scope of practice has been available to pharmacists in the province for over a decade now, which helped pave the way for this clinic to open.

He adds that most pharmacists also have prescribing authority.

The pharmacy care clinic is able to offer a private consultation room for one-on-one discussion with patients.

It also allows them the ability to triage patients to their next health care provider when necessary.

This is a service offered in Brooks over the past two years, and it has had a very good effect there.

“It alleviates the pressure on the health care system, so the emerge could be there for people who actually have emergencies and have other things that are more intense when it comes to their health care,” Assare said.

The consultation rooms are open for appointments and walk-in seven days a week between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the pharmacy open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Appointments can be made through the Shoppers Drug Mart website.

by Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat’s first pharmacy care clinic opens

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