Bridging pharmacy, nutrition
With a vast network of supermarkets and a variety of stand-alone drug store formats, Metro Inc. has carved out a strong position in Ontario and Quebec by stressing the crucial link between pharmacies, nutrition and overall wellness.
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All of its pharmacists in Ontario, for example, have completed an accredited continuing education course on nutrition.
“The nutrition initiatives that our pharmacists have been able to implement into their pharmacy’s service offering enable them to enhance the patient care provided,” she said. “These programs empower patients to better manage their own health as it relates to their medications and health conditions.”
In some instances, the spokeswoman noted, Metro pharmacies have offered specialized clinics catering to specific patient populations in collaboration with other health professionals. One of the more visible of these efforts has been pharmacists’ collaboration with a registered dietitian on diabetes screening clinics, helping to raise awareness of the disease and root out undiagnosed cases.
Metro’s 71 Ontario-based pharmacies, operating under the Pharmacy and Drug Basics banners, also have been at the heart of a government-funded smoking cessation program for patients covered by the province’s drug benefit system.
“The program contains all of the elements required by the Ontario Ministry of Health, but is enhanced with the addition of a lung function assessment to screen enrolled customers for COPD and to determine their lung age,” the spokeswoman said. “This assessment is valuable to ensure those with possible COPD receive the appropriate follow-up, along with providing measurable variables that can help educate and motivate individuals toward a smoke-free lifestyle.”
Many of these efforts also have extended to the company’s pharmacy network in Quebec, where it is the franchisor and distributor for 194 franchised Brunet Plus, Brunet, Brunet Clinique, Brunet Target, and Clini Plus drug stores.