From Saulnierville to Sydney, 14 more pharmacies opening primary care clinics

Fourteen more pharmacies in Nova Scotia will soon be able to provide care for minor ailments and illnesses as part of a provincewide pilot program aimed at the growing number of people without a primary care provider.

The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia has announced an expansion to the network of pharmacists-led primary care clinics created in February 2023.

Allison Bodnar, CEO of the association, said there were far more applicants than pharmacies chosen for this expansion, which will grow the number of clinics across the province to 45 from 31.

"We've had somewhere in the neighbourhood three to four times the number of applications as we can select," Bodnar said Thursday at a news conference.

The 14 new pharmacies were chosen by the association in consultation with Nova Scotia Health. They were selected based on their location, potential patient need, and the ability of pharmacy owners to have the clinics up and running as quickly as possible.

Although there is a shortage of pharmacists in Nova Scotia, Bodnar said allowing them to practise to the full scope of their training has made working in the province more attractive.

"It's really quite a turnaround on the HR [human resources] side," said Bodnar.

"Yes, we're still short in community pharmacy. Yes, there's still lots of postings, there's still more work to do. But having a scope of practice like this, being able to work in clinics like this, is what is attracting people to Nova Scotia."

The pharmacy clinics can assess and prescribe treatment for strep throat, pink eye and urinary tract infections. They also offer chronic disease management for conditions including diabetes, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as prescription renewals for all medications. Publicly funded vaccines can also be given on site.

Tens of thousands of Nova Scotians use care alternatives

Earlier this summer, the provincial government released figures showing Nova Scotians needing medical care took advantage of an alternative to a family practice visit 76,316 times in May, including visiting a pharmacist or a pharmacist-led clinic.

While the pharmacy association has praised the clinics, the association representing physicians in the province recently said Nova Scotians deserve more than alternative services such as appointments with pharmacists or virtual care.

Dr. Gehad Gobran, president of Doctors Nova Scotia, said while those alternatives are good tools, the "episodic, siloed care" they provide isn't enough in the long run.

Pharmacy owner Alison Anderson said Thursday she has repeatedly applied to open a clinic in Hammonds Plains and is happy to have been chosen for the expansion.

"I am thrilled to be able to offer more than what we were traditionally doing," said Anderson. "I feel like my team can make a really big difference."

Anderson expects to open the new clinic Monday.

The Nova Scotia government will pay $440,000 a year to fund these clinics.

14 new clinics opening across province

The new community pharmacy primary care clinics opening this fall are:

• Boyd's Pharmacy, 2525 Agricola St., Halifax.
   
• Lawtons Pharmacy Clinic Scotia Square, 5201 Duke St., Halifax.
   
• Chaulks Family Pharmasave, 366 Lacewood Dr., Halifax.
   
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 315 Herring Cove Rd., Spryfield.
   
• Hammonds Plains PharmaChoice, 2120 Hammonds Plains Rd., Hammonds Plains.
   
• Shoppers Drug Mart, 4 Forest Hills Parkway, Dartmouth.
   
• The Passage PharmaChoice, 6 Cow Bay Rd., Eastern Passage.
   
• Mackeigans Pharmacy, 25 Mackeigans Ln., Whycocomagh.
   
• The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, 288 Welton St., Sydney.
   
• Guysborough PharmaChoice, 133 Main St., Guysborough.
   
• Midtown Pharmasave, 3435 Plummer Ave., New Waterford.
   
• Saulnierville Pharmacy, 9999 Nova Scotia Highway 1, Saulnierville.
   
• Kennetcook Pharmacy, 6202 Hwy. 354, unit 2, Kennetcook.
   
• Lawtons Pharmacy Clinic, 2 Lawrence St., Suite 101, Amherst.

A full list of participating pharmacies can be found on the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia's website.

In June, the province's Need a Family Practice Registry hit a record 160,234 people — about 16 per cent of Nova Scotians.