Today (Dec 2), Shoppers Drug Mart and the University of Ottawa announced details of a multi-year partnership, including the upcoming opening of a new Pharmacy Care Clinic integrated within the University's Student Health and Wellness Centre. The new Shoppers Pharmacy Care Clinic - the first on a university campus in Canada - will complement existing services available through the Centre's multidisciplinary team of health professionals, establishing a convenient, one-stop access that caters to a student's health and wellness needs.
The Pharmacy Care Clinic will be located on the main campus at 801 King Edward Avenue at the Minto Sports Complex, adjacent to the Student Health and Wellness Centre to complement the Centre's One Door service delivery model which aims to improve students' access to wellness services. The full range of pharmacy care services provided will include the assessment and treatment of common minor ailments such as urinary tract infections and pink eye.
Thanks to an expanded scope of practice, pharmacists in Ontario can assess and provide treatment for minor ailments, administer vaccines, support chronic disease management and triage patients to higher levels of care in more complex cases. Shoppers Drug Mart's pharmacy care clinic model offers a unique opportunity for pharmacists to deliver care in the manner best suited to each of their patients.
At the core of this new partnership is a transformative gift of more than $2 million dollars to support the expansion of the Student Health & Wellness Centre and a collaborative research agreement that will analyze the improved health outcomes of an integrated model of primary care that includes a pharmacist.
This partnership also includes clinical placement bursaries for students of the Faculty of Health Sciences (Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy programs) and Faculty of Medicine (Pharmacy program), as well as support towards the construction of a mini-pharmacy simulation lab space to be housed within the Faculty of Medicine.
Shoppers Drug Mart, along with Shoppers Foundation for Women's Health have additionally committed to support two social enterprise projects: Projet Bénin to provide medical supplies and vaccines to the medical aid initiative and programming for the advancement of woman's health equity and health literacy, which includes the free distribution of menstrual products to the uOttawa student community.
This new partnership will immediately benefit the student community who will soon be able to receive pharmacy services, medical care and trusted advice in one location on campus.
The Pharmacy Care Clinic will open in February 2025.
Quotes
"We are thrilled to be opening our first Pharmacy Care Clinic on a university campus in Canada. Beginning in early 2025, this state-of-the-art facility will offer students studying pharmacy at the University of Ottawa hands-on experience in a practical setting in addition to providing pharmacy services, medical care and trusted advice to the greater student community," said Jeff Leger, President of Shoppers Drug Mart. "This is a core component of our renewed partnership with the University of Ottawa; a partnership that is centered on ensuring sustainability in healthcare, innovation in pharmacy practice and social responsibility; contributing to a healthier society and addressing many health inequities."
"This partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart will be a transformative one for the University," said Jacques Frémont, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ottawa. "It will help us enhance the primary care we are able to offer our students, train the next generation of healthcare providers and inform improved models of integrated primary health care. Better health care is possible when academia and industry come together to drive progress in Canada's health system."
