There is no doubt pharmacies today have evolved. The local corner-store pharmacy was mainly a prescription-based store with over-the-counter medications such as cough syrup. These mom and pop stores were often owned and run by a single person. But that has all changed.
Today, pharmacies serve many purposes and carry everything from prescription medications, vitamins and supplements to high-end perfume and food items. In order to survive in a fast-paced world, where people want and expect everything now and in one place, one business duo has created a one-stop health-care centre and shopping experience. And Village Family PharmaChoice (VFP), the Bible Hill-based pharmacy, is ready to meet all of these needs and more with the addition of a new location in Eagle’s Landing.
Owners, Sandeep Sodhi and Deborah Ellis opened their first pharmacy (Village Family Pharmacy) next to a group of like-minded family doctors in 2005. In 2010, they joined the PharmaChoice banner, which has over 800 member pharmacies across Canada. As the largest independent pharmacy chain in the country, PharmaChoice brings brand recognition, competitive prices, stability, and consistency to its clientele, Sodhi says. And now, with their newest venture, West End Family PharmaChoice (WeFP), Sodhi and Ellis plan to expand their home health-care product-line and provide their friendly style of service to the local businesses and residents nearby.
“Our concept when opening our primary care pharmacy was to work closely with new patients and collaborate with the physicians next door to offer seamless pharmacy care and medication management,” says Sodhi. And while they have offered other services over the years, including dieticians and respiratory therapists to provide one-stop health-care for the community, Sodhi says the three mainstay services of foot care, orthotics and blood collection continue to be in high demand.
Today, pharmacists also have more authority than when Sodhi and Ellis opened their first pharmacy, he says. Pharmacists can now offer services such as:
- Medication reviews for patients and physicians
- Vaccines and injections
- Renewing chronic disease medications
- Travel health advice
- Assessing common health conditions and providing a prescription
- Providing life-saving, anti-overdose kits
Sodhi says VFP also introduced the Ideal Protein diet in 2013, a medically prescribed weight-loss program designed for people who either have a lot of weight to lose or who have failed to lose weight with diet and exercise alone.
“Village Family Pharmacy has always been front and center in any new areas of practice. In fact, we are often asked to participate in pilot projects and ‘proof of concept ideas’ prior to their full implementation in the rest of Nova Scotia,” Sodhi says. Some of these projects include medication reviews, smoking cessation, collaborative-care models, as well as implementing best-practices with medication events and prescribing for minor ailments.
This past March, during Pharmacy Awareness Month, some of the Village Family PharmaChoice patients wanted to show their appreciation for the commitment to customer service and care that VFP continues to offer. Their video testimonies were posted on the Village Family PharmaChoice Facebook page. Check out their page and Like!
Sandeep and Deborah want to bring that same care and commitment to the new location at 510 Prince Street in the Eagle’s Landing Medical Plaza, which will open in mid-May. Other tenants are West End Medical Centre, Victoria Court Dental, Truro Medi-Spa and the Physio One Health Clinic.
“We are very excited to be once again joining many like-minded health-care providers in one convenient, central location of Truro,” Sodhi says. Our current staff will rotate and work at both of our Pharmacies.
