Pharmacists are the most accessible health-care professional and can provide many different services that you might not be aware of!
I encourage you to talk to your pharmacist about the variety of services they can offer, and you are welcome to come visit us anytime at Academy Medical Pharmacy on Beverly St. My name is Rachelle Laurin, and I am a pharmacist at this location.
I graduated from the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy last year and moved back to my hometown of Thunder Bay to be close to friends and family, and begin practicing in this beautiful city. In the last few years the role of the pharmacist has greatly expanded and will continue to do so in the future, therefore this is a really exciting time to be a new graduate and and further our profession!
Last fall you may have gone to your local pharmacy for your flu shot instead of booking an appointment at your doctor’s office. This is one of the many examples of pharmacists doing more to increase access to health care for people in the community. As a result of pharmacists giving flu shots it has increased the number of people getting a flu shot each year!
Some other services that your local pharmacist can offer include starting you on medication that can help you quit smoking, renewing some of your prescriptions that you have been on long term when you can’t get an appointment with your doctor, and giving out overdose prevention kits and training patients on them to decrease the amount of overdoses that occur.
In the future the role of the pharmacist may be expanding to include giving a variety of injections for shingles and travel shots. As well as, be able to prescribe medications for some conditions that are minor, and self-diagnosed such as rashes, cold sores, and seasonal allergies.
At Academy Medical Pharmacy we are an independent pharmacy that just opened late last year, and a new walk-in clinic that opened in April. As your neighbourhood pharmacy we focus on what matters to you, your health. We offer a variety of services to help you manage your health care needs.
This month our services focus on bone health.
Having good bone health is really important as you grow older to prevent any broken bones especially of the hip, spine, wrist and shoulder. Did you know that building strong bones when you are younger is the best strategy against weak bones as you get older? This is because you reach your peak bone mass and in your mid 30’s you begin to lose bone mass slightly every year.
Watch next week for a more in depth breakdown of bone health!
Rachelle Laurin, RPh
