‘Help Us Help You’ campaign helps pharmacies in Nova Scotia talk to the public about their services

The Nova Scotia Pharmacy Association has launched a campaign advertising to the public that “accessible care is not immediate; quality care takes time.” The “Help Us Help You” campaign materials are being distributed to more than 300 pharmacies across Nova Scotia, and include buttons, stickers and posters that are meant to help pharmacists discuss how to improve their pharmacy experience with patients. The materials link to the HelpUsHelpYou webpage. The materials also include posters, social media posts and rack cards that pharmacists can customize to, for example, advertise how their customers can book an appointment. The campaign was created in response to feedback from pharmacists saying they needed help from the association on educating patients about what services pharmacies offer, how they do it, and why it might take longer than expected to get service. Read: More training required to vaccinate young children: Nova Scotia College of Pharmacy The campaign materials advertise that “Pharmacies in Nova Scotia are more than dispensaries, they are an accessible healthcare option.” It notes pharmacists can provide prescription renewals, offer birth control management, can assess and prescribe for UTIs, offer preventative treatment for lyme disease, and assess and prescribe for shingles. Nova Scotians might not realize pharmacists can do all of these things, Allison Bodnar, CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, told CityNews. "Most of these services have been within our scope of practice for a long time, but it's only within the last few years that many of these have been funded as part of our Nova Scotia health system." The campaign also advertises ways patients can improve their own care, pointing out that “accessible care is not immediate care.” It highlights three ways that people can help make sure they have a good experience. The first is by filling their prescriptions early, as they can take up to 48 hours to fill; the second, by checking if their pharmacy is available through an app, offers automated refills or uses MedSync; and the third, by making an appointment for services. It also points the public towards a webpage where they can determine which pharmacies offer which services. Read: Licensed in as little as six months: new shorter supervision period and faster licensing decisions for IMGs in Nova Scotia

‘Help Us Help You’ campaign helps pharmacies in Nova Scotia talk to the public about their services

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