Hill's Drug Store & Hill's Clinic Pharmacy in Portage have always been committed to caring for their community… but what does that really look like?
For pharmacist and co-owner, Michelle Leslie, there are three main commitments they make to provide their patients with the best possible care.
“Patient education is one of the most important aspects of our job,” she said. “Giving patients knowledge about their prescriptions to the best of our ability, so they have better autonomy over their health and wellness.”
She continued, “Our pharmacies also offer free prescription delivery. Not everyone has the option or ability to make it to the pharmacy, so free delivery ensures everyone has equal access to the medications they need.”
Another service many people may not be familiar with is compounded medications.
Michelle explained, “Compounding is the art and science of making personalized medications for individuals who have unique prescription needs. It’s an additional service we offer, where we mix and combine ingredients to make customized medications just for you.”
Compounding medications not only expands the options doctors have when providing treatment, but pharmacists can also work directly with doctors to create personalized medications for patients who may need more than the one size fits all approach.
Depending on the situation, the medication a person needs may not be available for several reasons. A patient may require a specific strength or dosage form that is not commercially available or mass produced, it could be temporarily unavailable, or short from the manufacturer. If tablets are inappropriate, a liquid or topical medication could be compounded instead. Compounded prescriptions may also be necessary if a patient has an allergy to the fillers used in mass-produced medications.
“We want the patients in the Portage area to have full access to medication options,” said Michelle, “and compounding can be a life-changing solution for many people.”
She continued, “As pharmacists, it’s highly rewarding when we’re able to help patients find a solution to their individual challenges. Within compounding, we strive to find a solution that works.”
Some examples of compounded medication include: magic mouthwash; multi-ingredient topical pain creams; acne creams; topical combination creams for rashes like triple goop; suppositories; capsules; and liquid medications, “which can be great for children or those who have difficulty swallowing pills,” added Michelle.
Hill’s Clinic Pharmacy is a certified non-sterile Level B Compounding Pharmacy and are a proud member of the Professional Compounding Centers of America (PCCA). The team additionally keeps up to date with research and attends continued education through PCCA courses and seminars.
While Hill’s Clinic Pharmacy is the location that creates the compounded medications, patients can also receive them from Hill’s Drug Store in downtown Portage.
In recent years compounding regulations have changed in Manitoba and in order to ensure Hill’s could continue serving their community as best as they can, they made a number of upgrades to the Pharmacy.
“In order to become a certified compounding pharmacy, we made the decision to upgrade our equipment to continue doing what we love.” said Michelle, “We take the responsibility of upholding our compounding to the highest standards in order to make the best possible medications for our patients.”
Michelle and her team take many steps to ensure the Pharmacy continues to meet the highest standards. Some of the steps include:
- Ensuring all policies and procedures are up to date.
- Completing risk assessment for all compounded products.
- Keeping a master formula for each compound.
- Using proper PPE.
- Meeting National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) standards for compounding non-sterile products.
- Using appropriate beyond-use-dating.
If you or your healthcare providers believe that compounded medications might be right for you, talk to your pharmacist at Hill’s Drug Store or Hill’s Clinic Pharmacy to learn more.