Nova Scotia Health partners with Sobeys and Lawtons
Agreement sets up walk-in clinics in New Glasgow and Truro
If the pilot that’s been going on in New Glasgow is any indication, Nova Scotians are receptive to the idea of a pharmacy-based walk-in clinic staffed by pharmacists.
“They have demonstrated their support through flowers, cards and baked goods, and many have become emotional,” said clinical pharmacist Michelle Stewart about a pilot project that began in Pictou County in early 2021.
“It’s been so gratifying to be part of this pilot and to experience, first-hand, how we’re making a difference for people.”
Friday morning, Premier Tim Houston and Nova Scotia Health Interim President and CEO Karen Oldfield announced a partnership between Sobeys and Lawtons Drugs and Nova Scotia Health that will see the addition of a nurse practitioner to the New Glasgow clinic, and create a new walk-in clinic above the Lawtons in Truro, staffed by pharmacists and a nurse practitioner.
“Having timely and appropriate access to primary care is something that all Nova Scotians need and care about deeply,” Oldfield said at a press conference at Summer Street Industries in New Glasgow to announce the new partnership. “We’ve certainly heard and we know that Nova Scotians need more options to access primary care, both for those who have a family doctor and, more especially, for those who do not.”
Pharmacists and a nurse practitioner will provide health services to Nova Scotians in clinics located above two Lawtons drug pharmacies and will be called pharmacy walk-in clinics+.
“This is a test and try model; it’s a pilot project,” Oldfield
said. “We will evaluate the project to learn about patient experience, the providers' experience, the delivery of care, and more.”
The hope is that it’s a model that could be replicated in other parts of the province.
Oldfield said she anticipates the new approach will help alleviate some of the pressure on local emergency departments by dealing with health concerns that can be appropriately treated in a walk-in clinic rather than tying up ER staff.
As of Jan. 1, 2022, there were 82,678 Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice Registry. Of that, 21,651 people are located in the Northern Zone which includes Cumberland, Colchester and Pictou counties. Pictou County has more than 10,000 people on the wait list and Colchester-East Hants has over 9,000.
“Every day that I’m premier and every day that I listen to Nova Scotians and hear the stories of Nova Scotians, I am more and more motivated,” Houston said. “I feel the urgency to get things going the right way to fix health care and we are on a good path.”
He believes these newly announced clinics are an example of finding new approaches that can help.
“What we’re seeing here is the perfect example of people stepping up, filling voids, and making things happen.”
He thanked Sobeys and Lawtons for their willingness to partner and encouraged others with ideas to come forward.
“We’re looking for innovative partnership. We’re looking for passion. So anyone else out there who wants to partner and be part of the effort to improve access to health care in this province, bring it on,” Houston said.
HOW IT WORKS
Patients at the walk-in clinics will be seen in a private consultation room by a pharmacist or nurse practitioner who can assess and treat a variety of illnesses and health conditions, and prescribe medications as needed.
Pharmacists can assess, prescribe for, and treat a range of minor ailments and conditions including seasonal allergies, indigestion, minor joint pain, muscle sprains, and skin conditions like eczema.
Pharmacists are also able to renew prescriptions, prescribe birth control, cold sore medication, prescribe for uncomplicated UTIs and shingles, and they can manage chronic drug therapy for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma.
A nurse practitioner, meanwhile can diagnose and treat health issues such as asthma, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other ongoing health conditions.
A nurse practitioner can also prescribe medications, order and interpret tests, including blood tests, X-rays, ultrasounds, and MRIs, and refer patients to a specialist or other health care provider, if needed.
Each clinic has the capacity to provide care for approximately 200 people per week.
Beverley Zwicker, CEO and Registrar of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists said the partnership is a great example of health care partners working together to put patients at the centre of their decisions.
“This builds on the work that the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists has been doing to address regulatory barriers and support pharmacists in bringing the full extent of their knowledge and skills to the care of their patients,” she said.
“I am confident that today is just the first of many new and innovative ways of ensuring quality healthcare for Nova Scotians.”