Relocated pharmacy expands services to the community

By Irene van der Kloet

Recently, Thorhild Pharmachoice moved to a new building. The pharmacy had been in what is now the old business centre of town for a long time. Over the years, the Thorhild business centre concentrated further south. Andrew James, the new pharmacy owner, decided to bring the business over to that area, along highway 827 that runs from Egremont to Athabasca, to give it more exposure to the public. The new location also offered the opportunity to expand the inventory, apart from prescription and over-the-counter medicines, to other services for which customers usually would have to go to the city. “We are here to serve the clients, and even if we don’t have what a client looks for, we can order it in,” said Heidi Crossland, pharmacy manager. “We can offer other services such as counselling, lab test ordering or interpretation. We provide compression stock fitting, blister packaging, selection advice for over-the-counter medication, and medication synchronization. We do Basic Health Screening and are an Aids to Daily Living (AADL) vendor”. The pharmacy provided some of these services in their previous location, but they have expanded their services, and with people walking in to check out the new site, more people have become aware of all the services. The pharmacy offers chronic disease management for those with chronic diseases and can prescribe drug therapy to manage acute or chronic medical conditions. Prescribing drug therapy and clinical service funding are also available (please contact the pharmacy for details). With all these services, it is essential to connect with the pharmacist and discuss the ailments and the medications taken so far. It is pretty remarkable and necessary for a rural community to offer these services to their clients, so people don’t need to go to the city. Seniors with mobility challenges must have these services around the corner. In addition, because clients and pharmacists are both in the same community, it offers the opportunity to build up that personal rapport and get to know the client, which enables the pharmacist to tailor services to this specific client. Heidi and her staff are pleased to be in the new location, which is not only bigger but also more “in the loop.” “We have been open since July 25, but we want a grand opening in September where we hope to see the Chamber of Commerce, councilors and many visitors. We will inform the community of the date”, Heidie adds. Thorhild Pharmacy is located on Highway 827 next to the Co-Op food store and can be reached at 780-398-3883.