Creating Capacity in Public Health

Canada's more than 11,500 pharmacies serve as vital community health hubs in virtually every community across the country. Pharmacy has proven its effectiveness on the frontlines of public health.

Our position on how community pharmacies create capacity in public health:

• Pharmacies are a preferred destination for immunization services.  Pharmacists should be enabled to administer all vaccines and government funding should be made available for public health vaccines administered in pharmacies.
• As a partner in delivering healthcare solutions, government can trust pharmacies and the efficient pharmaceutical distribution system to facilitate the storage, distribution, dispensing, and administration of vaccines.  Governments and health authorities should enable use of the pharmaceutical distribution system for vaccines in all provinces.
• Enabling pharmacist-administered point of care testing will support disease screening initiatives, including rapid COVID-19 testing.  By providing pharmacists with the ability to order and access lab tests, pharmacists can also ensure patients' therapies are monitored in real-time for effectiveness and potential toxicities.
• Pharmacists are on the frontlines fighting the opioid crisis.  Expanding pharmacists' role in managing opioid therapy, initiating opioid dependence therapy, and naloxone administration further enables pharmacists to offer solutions to this devastating public health crisis.

Please also refer to our other position statements and toolkits falling under the umbrella of positioning pharmacy as a community health hub.