Nova Scotia is expanding a program that enables pharmacists to treat and prescribe medication to patients with common illnesses or certain chronic diseases, like diabetes.
The provincial government announced Wednesday that its Pharmacy Primary Care Clinic program will expand from 12 to 26 locations as of next month.
The province says nine new locations will open Monday and the other five will open by the end of May.
"Pharmacists live and work in our communities and are one of the most accessible healthcare providers in Nova Scotia," said Brian Comer, minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health, on behalf of Nova Scotia Health Minister Michelle Thompson, in a news release Wednesday.
"As our province and population quickly grow, we're expanding how and where Nova Scotians can receive primary care close to home."
The program is part of the province's efforts to ensure residents have access to primary care even if they don't have a doctor.
The first 12 primary care clinics opened in February.
The province says the clinics have provided more than 9,000 services to more than 5,000 Nova Scotians since then.
"For me, the proof of this model is in the daily interactions I have with patients who otherwise would be in emergency rooms, or worse, not attending to their health needs at all,” said Colleen MacInnis, a pharmacist at the TLC Pharmasave in Shelburne, N.S. “I am full of pride and inspiration watching our team and our colleagues at other sites providing this necessary care in our communities.”
The province says it is spending $1.2 million to expand to the 14 new locations.
The following nine locations are opening Monday:
- Amherst Pharmasave, 158 Robert Angus Dr., Amherst, N.S.
- Balser’s Pharmachoice, 83 Warwick Rd., Digby, N.S.
- Chester Pharmasave, 3785 Hwy 3, Chester, N.S.
- Guardian Elmsdale Pharmacy, 269 Hwy 214, Elmsdale, N.S.
- Pictou Pharmasave, 33 Water St., Pictou, N.S.
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 255 Commercial St., Glace Bay, N.S.
- The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, 133 Baker Dr., Dartmouth, N.S.
- The Medicine Shoppe, 708B Reeves St., Port Hawkesbury, N.S.
- Windsor Pharmasave, 30 Gerrish St., Windsor, N.S.
The following five clinics are opening by the end of May:
- Lawrencetown Pharmachoice, 491 Main St., Lawrencetown, N.S.
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 6025 Almon St., Halifax
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 3430 Joseph Howe Dr., Halifax
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 766 Sackville Dr., Lower Sackville, N.S.
- Teasdale Apothecary, 65 Beech Hill Rd., Antigonish, N.S.
With files from The Canadian Press
