A newly opened Pharmacy Care Clinic inside a Shoppers Drug Mart on Dundas Street is offering residents of Cambridge quicker access to treatment for minor ailments, potentially easing the strain on the local healthcare system
The pharmacist and owner of the Shoppers Drug Mart on Dundas Street in Cambridge believes its new Pharmacy Care Clinic can ease some of the burden on the local healthcare system.
Earlier in August, the Shoppers Drug Mart at 115 Dundas St. N. opened the chain’s latest Pharmacy Care Clinic which is the first in Cambridge and second in the region.
Bryan Langel, pharmacist and associate owner of this Shoppers Drug Mart, explained the clinic is another location for patients to get vaccines or be assessed and treated for some minor ailments and acute illnesses such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), yeast infections, sprains and strains, hay fever, rashes, morning sickness and more.
“It provides a unique space where they can meet in a bit more of a private type setting,” he explained.
It functions like a walk-in clinic — with similar amenities such as a reception area for booking appointments, waiting area and examination rooms — but Langel said there is a different scope to what can be provided by a pharmacist versus a physician or nurse practitioner-led clinic.
In recent years, the province has expanded or proposed further expansion of what minor ailments a pharmacist can assess or treat.
“The more minor ailments that pharmacists are able to prescribe for, be able to treat for, will reduce the amount of visits needed to emergency room type settings,” Langel said.
He stressed it is still important for patients to see their family doctors as well but also noted this clinic can free up appointment slots.
“Does a patient need to go see a doctor for what would be considered a common UTI that they know what they have?” he asked. “They can come here and that opens up another time slot for a patient with a more serious illness.”
He also said the Pharmacy Care Clinic can triage patients in a sense as even if the pharmacy can not treat the patient, they could better direct them to either their family doctor, a walk-in clinic or an emergency room so patients can get appropriate care at the right place sooner.
Having access to dedicated pharmacy clinic space is beneficial to the overall community, Langel said, as he believes pharmacists are one of the most accessible healthcare practitioners for the community.
“It opens the door for an expansion of services in the future,” Langel said.
The Pharmacy Care Clinic is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to midnight.