Pharmacy's role in delivering health care is expanding across Canada, including here in New Brunswick.
With our health-care system under significant strain—so much so that even patients with a primary care provider struggle to get timely care—our Association has partnered with the provincial government on two key initiatives that demonstrate the difference pharmacy can make: the Pharmacist Care Clinics pilot and expanded public coverage for treating common conditions.
The Pharmacist Care Clinics pilot allowed patients to manage their chronic disease care with a pharmacist, changing the lives of thousands of New Brunswickers with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD, and asthma. Pharmacists at the six pilot clinics also managed the enormous demand for Strep A testing during this winter's outbreak.
While the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) evaluates data from this pilot, the results of similar programs in neighbouring provinces suggest that a provincewide rollout of pharmacist-led care could have a tremendous impact in New Brunswick.
The NBPA also worked with the provincial government to triple the publicly covered pharmacy services for common conditions. It is now easier for patients to receive treatment at their community pharmacy, which reduces non-urgent visits to emergency rooms, doctor's offices, and clinics, and contributes to shorter wait times for patients with more serious needs. Yet, for every condition now covered by Medicare, two more remain uncovered, presenting a clear opportunity for pharmacy to make an even greater impact.
Fully integrating pharmacy-led care is about more than just new programs – it's about ensuring that the hundreds of highly educated and available practitioners can give the care they have been trained to provide, and be empowered to make the best possible contribution to New Brunswick's health care system. Pharmacy professionals are here, ready and willing to help.