Challenges and Recognition - Pharmacists - your Health

NEWS RELEASE

March 4-10 2012 PHARMACISTS’ AWARENESS WEEK – CHALLENGES AND RECOGNITION

For Immediate Release – St. John’s 02/03 2012

The Council of Independent Community Pharmacy Owners is pleased to support Pharmacists’ Awareness Week with our valued employees.

Each of our member corporations recognizes the valued contribution of pharmacists in our society. Through progressive and supportive employee and employer relationships our businesses are proud of the services we provide to people, neighbourhoods and communities.

The pharmacist continues to be one of the most trusted professions and independent pharmacy one of the most trusted businesses. This week celebrates the work a pharmacist does whether as an employee of government, the University, hospitals, Centre for Health Information, or of the private sector. Our corporate members will continue to work toward providing a stable workplace for our professional staff. Our members companies continue to lobby government for medication management programs that allow our communities to avail of preventative and stabilization consults that our employees are fully qualified to do.

 

Executive Director, Sue Kelland-Dyer says, “The scope of practice of Newfoundland and Labrador pharmacists is lagging behind many other provinces in Canada. The CICPO encourages the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board (NLPB) and the employee representative – the Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PANL) to work diligently to correct this inequity being experienced by our employees.”

The CICPO also encourages the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to use this week to reflect on policy choices which may diminish significantly the salaries and benefits for this profession and eliminate the opportunities found in the private sector to deliver additional and advanced medication programs that help to ensure compliance, best use of prescription drugs, and best patient outcomes.

“The demographics of our province show that chronic disease management will become a real budgetary challenge over the coming decade. One of the only real ways to curb the anticipated explosion of prescription drug use is through an expanded scope of practice for pharmacists employed by private sector community pharmacies” adds Kelland-Dyer

The Council is concerned that significant cuts to pharmacy revenues will achieve several undesirable outcomes; a reduction in employment opportunities for these professionals, a reduction in a pharmacist’s wages, a reduction in hours of operation, and the elimination of all non-essential services.

 

Evidence is available in other provinces - where pharmacy revenues have been reduced – that these unanticipated consequences are already occurring. The splintered representation of pharmacists through Allied Health, MUNFA, and PANL may be inadvertently acting to thwart the protection of these essential employees and against finding an equitable solution.

The CICPO is willing to work with other employers such as government, hospital boards, and the university to achieve an equitable benefits and salary package and further willing to work with government to maximize the services our corporations can deliver to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The CICPO also encourages the government to review plans to examine emergency room wait-times. Kelland-Dyer states, “Minister Susan Sullivan missed a very important component in the announced study – the Minister missed pharmacists and pharmacies. It is well established that between 10-20 per cent of emergency room visits are due to drug interactions, medication compliance, and the inability for patients to get the drugs they are prescribed in a timely fashion.” 

Kelland-Dyer concludes, “Our businesses employ a large number of the pharmacists practicing in our province and want to take this opportunity to recognize their service and assure them that as employers we are fighting to protect not only the workplace but also their jobs and the services they deliver to our customers.”

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Will Dunderdale Government protect you from this?

As you are aware the Council of Independent Community Pharmacy Owners has been advising the public and media that changes occurring in Pharmacy Policies throughout Canada may be detrimental to you - the patient.

Recently in Ontario, the College of Pharmacists licensed a mail order pharmacy. This pharmacy located in one physical location - Express Scripts Canada Pharmacy - is promoting the transfer of your prescription from the local pharmacy to them. The medications they are interested in are "maintenance" medications for ongoing chronic conditions.

They promote the advantage of home delivery and say "you will have no need for monthly trips to the retail pharmacy" - and "free" delivery my mail.

They are pleased to advise you to have a 30 day supply on hand before you convert to them - presumably from your local pharmacy.

See the Video Here

Now consider for a moment that all patients of a local pharmacy convert to a mail in pharmacy - what happens to the local pharmacy? I think we can all be wary that your local pharmacy would not survive. Then when you need medications which are not "maintenance" such as anti-biotics or a supply of life saving medications after just having been released from a hospital - where do you go?

If you do not have an insurer or cannot have access to the mail-in pharmacy where do you go?

In the event of a change in medication to take affect immediately - where do you go?

If you want to consult with your pharmacist in person - where do you go?

Perhaps you live in the city and a big chain store is near by - no problem for you right? Well who knows? What if you live in a community where there is only one independent pharmacy what will you do?

The video compares shopping online and banking online to prescriptions online - that is irresponsible. This is your health. This is your health care professional and access.

If you are a cash paying customer or one that is on income assistance where do you go?

If the weather is bad - delayed delivery - where do you go?

This American headquartered company wants all the constant prescriptions without having to deal face to face with you the patients. They also do not want the medications that are once only or infrequent prescriptions. They want to suck all the profits they can away from your community, your province and your neighbourhoods.

What does this have to do with you in Newfoundland and Labrador. The answer to that is two-fold.

1. When contacting the mail order pharmacy by phone - the person on the phone says they expect to be able to deliver services in Newfoundland and Labrador (eastern provinces) by March or May.

2. This is the same company that is attempting to negotiate a contract with independent pharmacies in Newfoundland and Labrador for the acceptance of the Desjardins Card. Obviously they are in a conflict and we now have to deal with that. By the way that would be all provincial government employees.

Now to see what the American Version of the video shows: Press HERE

Here they talk about the accuracy and numbers of prescriptions they fill. How would we know that? Is that going to be allowed in Canada?

One thing is for sure - we must stand up for community and neighbourhood based pharmacies before it is too late.

A final note: they claim you MAY save money. What we will do is keep funneling health care dollars out of our communities and province along with direct personal access to health care professionals. That saves nobody money - but can destroy a very exceptional pharmacy network.

Are You getting all the News you Need?

News Release CICPO

23/012/11 St. John’s for immediate release:

CICPO to ask Government to remove Shopper’s Drug Mart Private Label Generics

Ontario Court of Appeal upholds ban on Sanis Products

The Council of Independent Community Pharmacy Owners will formally ask that government remove Sanis generic drugs from the provincial formulary. This follows a decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal that sided with the Government of Ontario. The court said it agreed that the province could reasonably conclude private label generics would reduce competitiveness and drive up prices.

“This is what the Council has advised the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. This is only one of many concerns we have regarding a pharmacy chain manufacturing its own generic medications”, says Executive Director Sue Kelland-Dyer. 

The provincial government listed Shopper’s Drug Mart generics on the formulary last year, disregarding the legal challenge that was moving forward in Ontario. Kelland-Dyer states, “The CICPO was surprised that Minister Jerome Kennedy moved so quickly to accommodate the large national chain when it moves so slowly to list other generics – thereby wasting hundreds of thousands of health care dollars.”

The Winnipeg Free Press also reported the following statement regarding the ruling:

“BMO Capital Markets analyst Peter Sklar said the Ontario ban won't prevent Shoppers from selling Sanis products in other provinces where they are permitted. In addition, the volume discounts that the retailer gets from its contract drug suppliers will probably offset the revenue it lost when the province banned the fees to it from generic manufacturers.”

“We can take from this that people in our province are expected to protect the stock value of Shopper’s Drug Mart instead of developing policies that protect people and local pharmacies in rural and inner-city neighbourhoods”, concludes Kelland-Dyer.

Complete Court of Appeal Decision: http://www.ontariocourts.on.ca/decisions/2011/2011ONCA0830.pdf

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Update Dr. Wade Locke addresses the CICPO

This is a note to advise that an update will be posted over the next week or so regarding Dr. Wade Locke's address to the Council of Independent Community Pharmacy Owners at the 2011 AGM.

I will post the power point presentation.

It was an excellent presentation with very timely information.

Unfortunately the Telegram story did not focus on many important points - rather singled in on a question and answer between Dr. Locke and one pharmacy owner.

It is significant to add that Dr. Locke specifically pointed out that he gave the presentation during a very busy time in his year and without a fee - as he thought it was an important event and issue. He certainly contributed a great deal to the pharmacy owners attending and all were appreciative.

Please check back for the updates.

In the meantime I will be posting pictures of the event over the next few days. The following pictures were taken by Todd and Josephine Squires - Todd was this year's recipient of the Pharmacy Owner of the Year Award.

Dr. Wade Locke

 

Some of CICPO Owners accepting their Nu-Quest Pharmacy Service Awards presented by Board Members 

  

 

 

Phil O'Keefe and Robert Doyle

 

Many more pictures to come - stay tuned.

New Talk Show takes on the Pharmacy Issue, Saving Money while maximizing Health Outcomes

Listen to "Talk with Sue and Shannon" Newfoundland and Labrador's newest talk-show this Sunday evening at 8 pm NL time as they explore the pharmacy issue.

There will also be a pharmacist/owner on hand to answer questions about the independent pharmacy model, medication and disease management (diabetes, cardiac, asthma, and other chronic disease), pharmacy services, the court challenge, other provinces, generic drugs versus brand name, saving money for government and patients/customers and the role of pharmacy in the future.

Find out where there are inefficiencies in the government system that are wasting tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

Please take the time to listen in and become involved in this area of front-line health that affects you, your family, and community.

To take in the show please PRESS HERE