Innovative pharmacist walk-in clinic launched in Lethbridge

By Lethbridge Herald on June 25, 2022.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido Guzman Health Minister Jason Copping speaks during the opening ceremony of Alberta's first pharmacist-led walk-in clinic Friday at the Real Canadian Superstore.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Alberta’s first pharmacist walk-in clinic will officially open its doors Monday inside the Lethbridge Real Canadian Superstore and Health Minister Jason Copping visited it Friday for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Minister Copping said during the ribbon cutting ceremony that this pilot project builds on the capacity of community pharmacy teams to improve access to primary care.

“This clinic will be a place where people can come to get help quickly and easily for minor health problems and management of chronic conditions,” said Copping.

This pilot project is a partnership between pharmacists, the University of Alberta faculty of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, the government of Alberta and Loblaw Companies Ltd.

“Pharmacists have the knowledge and expertise to contribute more to the primary care team and government recognizes that, in fact the profession in Alberta has the broadest scope of practice in Canada,” said Copping.

He said with the knowledge gained from this pilot project they can keep improving health delivered by pharmacy teams and stay on the leading edge of pharmacy practice within Canada.

Copping recognized that access to primary care is particularly challenging in Lethbridge but he said the reality is that it is tough to recruit new family doctors when other provinces are competing for them at the same time.

“We’re putting a priority on it and making progress with support from the entire community,” said Copping.

He said AHS has been working hard to bring new doctors to Lethbridge and there are new doctors on the way.

“There are 11 family physicians committed to working in Lethbridge awaiting CPSA practice writing assessment, and they are expected to start working in September and provide services over the course of the remaining year,” said Copping.

He said recruitment will continue by spring next year and there are six more new family physicians on their way, which brings the total to 16 new family physicians practicing family medicine in Lethbridge by next year.

Minister Copping spoke to the media after the ribbon ceremony and said by opening a pharmacist-led clinic it allows them to be able to utilize the training they already possess and help alleviate some of the stress on the healthcare system, and he is excited to see how the project evolves.

“We will assess this pilot and see how it works with the hope that Shoppers or others may be able to expand it across the province and quite frankly lead the way in the country and show other provinces if this is going to add value to access to primary care,” said Copping.

Head of pharmacy at Loblaw Companies Ltd and president of Shoppers Drug Mart, Jeff Leger, told the media that having dedicated clinic rooms could increase the number of services that a pharmacist can actually deliver in a more private setting.

“Alberta actually has the best scope of practice across the country, so they’ve been leading the country for quite some time and so that was the first indication that this would be a good place. We were looking at different areas where we had some physical locations that can meet local needs, and that’s what led us to Lethbridge and we’re very happy to be here and be able to provide these services,” said Leger.

He said that because the clinic is in a space they own they are able to offer the pilot project for six to 12 months and really be able to understand what works here and see if they can replicate it in other parts of the province.

Minister Copping said the pilot project is a great initiative but it is also just one piece of the puzzle. He said they are constantly assessing the doctor shortage situation and looking for alternative solutions.

He said they continue to invest in not only hiring doctors, but nurse practitioners while looking at other health professions.

“One thing that was very pleasing is that part of budget 2022 is investing $600 million into postsecondary institutions to be able to supply the professions. There are shortages and I’m very pleased that over half of it has gone into healthcare professions,” said Copping.

To support research and teaching at the clinic, Loblaw has provided a $500,000 grant to the University of Alberta. This grant will enable research and evaluation of innovative models of care implemented at the pharmacist walk-in clinic and provide training opportunities for pharmacy students.

The clinic will provide care to patients starting Monday and will be operating Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The clinic will accept appointments and walk-in patients. Those interested in making an appointment can call the clinic directly at 825-399-2015.