The Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia (PANS), in partnership with the Government of Nova Scotia and Nova Scotia Health, is piloting new primary care clinics at select pharmacy locations. Clinics are located in areas with the highest number of people without a family doctor.
These clinics will provide an extended suite of pharmacy primary care services at no charge to people with a valid Nova Scotia Health Card.
Pharmacists in these clinics will have dedicated time to see patients with common illnesses and people who are on medications for chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular, and lung disease. They will also provide care for strep throat, including testing, diagnosis, and treatment, something that has not been available through pharmacies previously.
Pharmacists at the pilot locations will also be able to prescribe and manage medications for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The pharmacies under this pilot will receive additional funding for providing added care, including assessing and prescribing for 31 minor ailments such as minor joint and muscle pains, eczema, cold sores, and heartburn.
You can find the complete list of services and information on booking appointments here.
Some care services are already available at no cost to patients at all pharmacies in the province, including assessment and treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections and shingles, contraception, Lyme disease prevention, and prescription renewals.
The Pharmacy locations with appointments available now are:
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 118 Wyse Rd., Dartmouth
- Guardian Bedford, 535 Larry Uteck Blvd., Bedford
- North Sydney PharmaChoice, 107 King St., North Sydney
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 254 Prince St., Sydney
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 912 East River Rd., New Glasgow
- The Medicine Shoppe, 664 Prince St., Truro
- Wilsons Pharmasave, 213 Commercial St., Berwick
- Bridgewater Guardian Pharmacy, 42 Glen Allan Dr., Bridgewater
- Shoppers Drug Mart, 1124 Bridge St., Greenwood
- TLC Pharmasave, 157 Water St., Shelburne
- City Drug Store, 369 Main St., Yarmouth
I’m pleased to share that two Bedford-area pharmacies will be added to an expansion of pharmacists’ scope of practice over the next month. This will be helpful to the many residents who are without a doctor — over the past year, we’ve seen a sharp increase in the number of Bedford residents who don’t have a doctor or a nurse practitioner.
These two locations are:
Guardian Bedford: 535 Larry Uteck Blvd., Bedford will begin offering expanded service March 1. The folks at Guardian are always looking for ways to add services for their patients— I’m delighted but not surprised to see them expanding services.
And Brookline Pharmacy at 105-6 Bloom Lane, Bedford, will have appointments starting later in February. Brookline Pharamacy has been very accessible for vaccinations ever since it opened.