TRENTON
The new Pharmasave in Trenton is off to a strong start since its opening on March 14, joining its venerable sister store in Pictou serving the local area.
The new store opened a few years after the old Shoppers Drug Mart in town closed, allowing Pharmasave to move in and snap up a nearby location which once housed Needs. Needs relocated to the site that was previously the NSLC store.
“The reception has been fantastic from the community,” said pharmacy co-owner Glenn Hicks.
Previously, Hicks bought the Pictou Pharmasave in 2006 from his parents, who had run that store since the 1970s.
However, the Pictou store has a much older history. A pharmacy has existed at that location since the first half of the 19th century, when James D.B. Fraser first opened a store on Water Street.
Since then, the store has seen several different owners come and go over its nearly two centuries of existence.
“It would be one of the oldest continuously run pharmacies in the province,” said Hicks.
Hicks pointed out that pharmacists are playing an increasingly important role in Nova Scotia’s health care system, since their scope of practice was expanded by the government, the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists and the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia.
As such, pharmacists can oversee flu shots and other vaccinations, prescribe medicines for minor ailments, offer prescription refills and handle continuing-care prescriptions.
At Pharmasave, customers can also access medication reviews and receive blood pressure tests, among other services on offer.
“When pharmacists utilize their full scope of practice, these services can reduce some burden on our health-care system, but they do not replace the need for family doctors and nurse practitioners,” said Hicks in a follow-up text message.
He added that the health-care system is interdependent, as doctors, pharmacists and other professionals must work together to provide the best possible care.
A well-run pharmacy can also be a means of educating patients about health-care choices, especially for those with chronic conditions like diabetes, which must be properly managed to prevent future complications.
“I think that they can help educate patients on the current state of their health and their conditions to manage them better,” said Hicks.