Protecting Our Nation’s Drug Supply
To our valued patients,
We thank you for your continued support throughout these unprecedented times. Our staff has been overwhelmed by the number of patients that have thanked us over the last few weeks. We know that the wonderful sense of community here on the Sunshine Coast is what is going to get us through this time.
Our Pharmacy Team would like to clear up some misconceptions from the Media regarding ‘dispensing fees’. Howe Sound Pharmacy is following the recommendation from our Public Health Officials to only dispense 30-days of medication at a time in order to avoid critical drug shortages and to be able to maintain a constant supply of medications as needed for all patients. This of course creates triple the work over the next 3 months. However, we as health care professionals believe it is our duty to provide the best possible service to all of our patients while following the public safety orders from our Public Health Officials, and to ensure the continuity of the drug supply for our community.
All medications in Canada have a Pharmacy dispensing fee, and that helps maintain an independent pharmacy like Howe Sound Pharmacy. We’d like to introduce you to the dedicated health care professionals that are here to serve you throughout this pandemic.
- Catherine, Michelle, Tamara, Liane and Mary answer the hundreds of phone calls that come in daily.
- Our Pharmacy Assistants: Amy, Cynthia, Josh, Johanne, Ivy, Daniel, Kim and Rick fill prescriptions and deliver them to patients all day long. *Please take advantage of our ‘FREE’ Delivery service for Medications and all Over-the Counter items.
- Our Technicians: Aurora, Steph and Sarah check the accuracy of all prescriptions throughout the day.
- We have 4 dedicated Pharmacists, with 3 of them on staff every day, to help patients navigate their health care and the health care of their family members; Chris, Eric, Christine and Cindy.
Contrary to popular belief, the government has provided ‘no relief’ to Pharmacies during this pandemic. We respectfully ask that during this pandemic everyone understand the necessity of 30 day dispensing and know that when the Public Health Officials remove their current recommendation – we will return to regular dispensing guidelines.
Please know that if you are having financial issues due to the pandemic, we will do everything in our power to keep your prescriptions as affordable as possible. If this is the case, please call Eric or Chris to discuss options moving forward. We will do our best to get back to you within 48 hours.
We thank you for your understanding and your continued support – we will get through this time together.
Stay safe!
Chris Juozaitis, Pharmacist and the Howe Sound Pharmacy Team
