Corporate Responsibility

Any business that successfully creates and keeps a customer in a cost-effective way will make a profit. If for any reason, a business fails to attract new and sustain a certain number of customers, it will experience losses. And too many losses will eventually lead to business failure. It should go without saying that an important part of your pharmacy’s business strategy is to make money, but making money shouldn't be the sole purpose of your business.

The way you leave a pharmacy will speak volumes to your character. Although many good things that you do will go unnoticed and other things will potentially become inflamed, you will sleep well at night knowing you left the place in the best spot possible. At the very least, you can set up a long-term schedule, ensure staff cross-training and provide a list of lead candidates. You will leave the pharmacy better than when you entered years ago.

A northern Manitoba First Nations community and the province’s health authority are searching for answers after a family received—and buried—the remains of the wrong person.

I think we are already seeing a clear vision of where pharmacy practice is going. With Canadians visiting their pharmacists up to 10 times more frequently than any other healthcare provider, and with a growing shortage of primary care practitioners due to retirements and fewer new practitioners entering the field, we can expect to see pharmacies continue to own their place as community health hubs.

As Canadians, we should be asking questions about why private equity investment firms are so interested in owning parts of our healthcare system.

Michael Bloomberg’s organization Bloomberg Philanthropies is announcing a US$600 million gift to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools.

There is a time and a place for independence but also a time and a place for a functional team. I have been blessed to be thoroughly engaged in my practice, but also well engaged in the profession in many aspects. You can be a great pharmacist in your practice site in your community. But you can also share your talents within the profession and beyond.

We are living in a time when health disparities loom large. Community pharmacies have a unique opportunity to serve as pillars of wellness, equity and social innovation.