Canadian pharmacy association makes Justin Bates permanent CEO

TORONTO - The Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada on Monday named Justin Bates as permanent CEO of the organization.



"I am very pleased to announce Justin's appointment as permanent CEO," stated Vivek Sood, board chair. "The board is confident that under his leadership, we will succeed in increasing member engagement, industry collaboration and developing evidence-based public policy solutions for all levels of governments, the private insurance sector and Canadian patients, who rely on the highest quality care in our neighbourhood pharmacies from coast to coast to coast."



Bates first joined the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores, as Neighbourhood Pharmacies was previously known, in 2006, and was named interim CEO in May 2016.  Since then, he has moved quickly to increase transparency and stakeholder collaboration, which are central themes of the Association in its advocacy initiatives.



Neighbourhood Pharmacies has identified the need for a new national pharmacy reimbursement strategy, and is currently laying the groundwork for a framework that will promote pharmacy growth while meeting the needs of public and private payors.  The Neighbourhood Pharmacies Executive Summit on October 27 and 28 in Toronto will be the first step of a multi-phased project to advance that new reimbursement model.