Stepping up to help Fort McMurray evacuees – one pharmacist's story

When Neil Cameron received the text from the Athabasca Emergency Response team notifying him that Fort McMurray was being evacuated, he knew exactly what that was going to mean to pharmacists in the area.  Having lived through the 2011 Slave Lake fire, he knew there would soon be an influx of people into his community who fled without their necessary and, in some cases, life-saving medications.

Cameron, a Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) Board member representing The Alberta Pharmacists’ Association (RxA), is the owner/pharmacist of Value Drug Mart in Athabasca, Alberta, 300 km south of Fort McMurray.

The town of 2,900 is one of the gateways to the south – and for many fleeing the fire, it was their first stop for gas, food, and the necessary medications they left behind.

Cameron says his pharmacy saw up to double of their typical volume in the days following the evacuation, primarily adapting and renewing prescriptions for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma.

“We were able to handle the increase,” says Cameron, who praises his staff for going the extra distance.  “As pharmacists do, they stepped up.”

He credits NetCare – Alberta’s electronic health records – which logs medication prescribing history, refill dates, quantities and dosage, for helping to ease the process. “Without an electronic health record you would have literally had to show the actual tablet to the patient,” he says. Many patients were also unaware, but nevertheless grateful, that they could get their prescriptions renewed so easily. Alberta has had expanded scope for renewals and adaptation since 2007.

But it was more than just dispensing medications for the pharmacy team -- many of the Fort McMurray evacuees arrived in shock; in some cases it was a family member seeking help for a loved one, but who only had a vague idea of the medication needed.  Taking the time to counsel, to reassure, to ask the right questions, was essential.

“You are helping people who have been traumatized and are at their most vulnerable.  It’s at a heightened level, but it is what we do every day,” says Cameron.  “It clearly showed how we as a profession can pull together in times of crisis.”

Cameron also offered help to pharmacies in nearby Lac La Biche and Boyle.  “Boyle has a single pharmacy and they were inundated and needed relief,” says Cameron.  “They reached out and we were able to get them support within the hour.”

The Alberta Pharmacists' Association is supporting pharmacy professionals and Albertans by providing a wide variety of resources and information. More information on medication replacements can be found here.