Sandra Hanna, RPh., LLM, ICD.D
CEO, Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada
Accessible. Trusted. Ready. The next evolution of community healthcare
Canada’s healthcare system is under strain. Yet in communities nationwide, pharmacy teams are demonstrating what a stronger, more accessible model of care can look like, and what it could become with the right supports.
With more than 12,000 locations nationwide and 95 per cent of Canadians living within five kilometres of one, pharmacies are the most accessible healthcare destination in the country. They dispense more than 859 million prescriptions annually and serve as a vital healthcare touchpoint, particularly for the nearly 6.5 million Canadians without a family doctor. Beyond prescriptions, pharmacy teams deliver vaccinations, minor ailment treatment, medication management, chronic disease support, and public health services.
They are also major economic contributors. Community pharmacy generates $23 billion in GDP, supports nearly 193,000 Canadian jobs, and delivers $6.3 billion in fiscal benefits to governments. Strengthening pharmacy strengthens both healthcare capacity and local economies.
As we look ahead, the opportunity is clear: optimize care to answer the clear and consistent call from Canadians for expanded pharmacy care.
From accessible to indispensable
Canada has an opportunity to redesign primary care around the strengths already embedded in its communities.
Imagine a system where Canadians can walk into their neighbourhood pharmacy and receive timely care without repeating information they have already shared elsewhere in the healthcare system. Community pharmacies are fully integrated into local care networks, supported by shared records, real-time information exchange, and clear referral pathways that ensure seamless, coordinated care at every step.
This is about delivering appropriate care in the right setting – closer to home, faster for patients, and more sustainable for the system.
By optimizing scope to align with pharmacists’ training, enabling sustainable funding, and better integrating pharmacies into care teams, community pharmacies can serve a broader role as pillars of community-based care and wellness. In doing so, they will expand access while strengthening the overall care team.
A primary care and immunization backbone
Vaccination is not only a pillar of public health, it is primary care. So is chronic disease support. So is medication management.
Pharmacies have proven they can deliver all three at scale.
During the pandemic, pharmacies became the backbone of Canada’s immunization response, reaching patients in urban centres, rural towns, and remote communities alike.Today, Canadians expect to receive vaccines at their pharmacy. They trust it. They prefer it. And they return for it.
Now imagine that model fully realized: pharmacists empowered nationwide to prescribe and administer all publicly funded vaccines; pharmacies integrated into a national immunization record with real-time access; pharmacy teams embedded within primary care and public health planning as core providers.
Imagine patients without a family doctor accessing routine vaccinations, chronic disease and medication management, and preventive screenings in a single trusted setting close to home.
Expanding pharmacy’s role in primary care, from common conditions to chronic disease screening and management, is not theoretical. It is practical, scalable, and ready to be enabled.
Supporting hospital capacity – from the community
Hospital pressures will not ease without stronger community-based care. We know that hospital capacity is among Canadians’ top concerns with the health system today.
Imagine a future where Canada’s community pharmacy sector is digitally enabled, clinically integrated, and recognized as essential health infrastructure. In that future, appropriate services shift from hospital settings into trusted neighbourhood pharmacies. Patients recover at home with expert support nearby, transitions of care are seamless, and hospital capacity is preserved for higher-acuity, high-intensity care.
Prevention, innovation and connected care
The future of healthcare is proactive, predictive, and team-based.
Community pharmacies are positioned to expand preventive screening, wellness services, and evidence-based self-care support, helping Canadians stay healthy before conditions arise or escalate. But prevention at scale requires more than expanded scope. It requires transformation.
Imagine a pharmacy sector powered by interoperable health records, AI-enabled clinical decision support, centralized dispensing, and intelligent automation. In this model, technology safely manages routine dispensing and administrative tasks, allowing pharmacy teams to practise at the top of their scope and training.
With smart policy, sustainable funding, and full digital integration, pharmacy can function as a fully connected extension of the healthcare team. This approach optimizes clinical capacity, enhances safety, and delivers more care, more effectively, closer to home.
The path forward
As we recognize Pharmacy Appreciation Month this March and the vital role pharmacies and their teams play in delivering care every day, it is also an opportunity to look ahead.
So how do we meet the care needs Canadians have told us they want?
- We remove barriers that limit scope and operational efficiency.
- We modernize funding to reflect expanded clinical services.
- We embed pharmacy fully into primary care and immunization planning.
- We connect pharmacies and health systems through interoperable digital solutions.
- We invest in preventive care delivered close to home.
- We recognize pharmacy as a scalable solution to system capacity challenges.
Canada’s pharmacies are already foundational to care in every community and form a critical pillar of Canada’s healthcare system.
The infrastructure is built. The expertise is proven. Public support is clear.
What is required now is the will to act.
The solutions are not years away. They are already being built every day in community pharmacies across the country.
To learn more, visit www.neighbourhoodpharmacies.ca.
