Pharmacy Check-in: Miranda Teasdale
Miranda Teasdale (she/her)
Co-Owner / Director of Pharmacy Services
Teasdale Apothecary Co.
Antigonish, NS
Valuing patient-centered care and accessible health-care models, Miranda is dedicated to ensuring her patients and community get the most out of their pharmacy health services. With experience in pharmacy management, a passion for providing clinical services and compounding knowledge, she's the driving force behind the Apothecary's pharmacy programs. Teasdale Apothecary Co. is determined to bring pharmacy back to its roots, with their patients and health as their number one focus. At Teasdale Apothecary Co., health is our passion—and that includes healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy planet. It is a full-service compounding and community pharmacy and a one-stop-shop for low-waste household and personal care products.
Q&A with Miranda
We caught up with Miranda during Pharmacy Appreciation Month to talk about what the power of pharmacy means to her, her role in the Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinic pilot project and some of the environmental sustainability practices that have been implemented in her pharmacy.
This year’s Pharmacy Appreciation Month (PAM) theme is “The power of pharmacy.” What does that mean to you?
Being part of the Community Pharmacy Primary Care Clinic pilot project is a perfect example of the power of pharmacy. As we know, pharmacists are the most accessible health care providers, but the pilot project truly shows how beneficial we are. For example, I had a gentleman who moved here 2 years ago with many chronic diseases, including diabetes. He had not had blood work in 2 years and was not monitoring his glucose levels at home. I wrote him a requisition for blood work and followed up with him after he got it done. His HbA1c was extremely elevated, along with his cholesterol. I initiated new drug therapy for him and referred him to our local diabetes clinic. After 3 months, his blood work was all within normal range. We really are making a difference in people’s lives.
What is the most rewarding element of your pharmacy practice?
The sense of community. We are a small, independent pharmacy and we pride ourselves on the level of customer service and care we provide. Hearing the positive feedback and appreciation from our patients has been incredible and reminds me why I opened the pharmacy in the first place.
What role can pharmacy and pharmacists play in environmental sustainability?
I think that everyone can play a role in environmental sustainability in their personal and professional lives. The pharmacy world is a little trickier. Many of our products are single-use products for sanitary and safety reasons. In saying that, it is quite visible the amount of waste health care produces, so reducing in any way we can is so important. For example, using paperless software, or even using prescription vials that are made from recycled plastic is enough to make an impact.
Why is it important for pharmacies to be aware of their environmental impact?
Pharmacies need to be aware of their environmental impact because of our responsibilities as humans on this planet. Some may feel like, “what is the point, one store won’t make a difference,” but if we think of the waste we are producing in a day and multiply it by the number of pharmacies, it adds up. Every piece of waste we reduce is one piece diverted from a landfill and therefore having a positive impact on the environment.
What are some of the things you’re doing, or that pharmacies and pharmacies can do at an individual level to minimize their impact on the environment?
As mentioned, there are many things we cannot change. However, some easy things we have done include using paperless software! We also order our medications in the largest stock bottles available (e.g., 1 bottle of 1000 instead of 10 bottles of 100). We recycle all our plastic bottles too, to ensure they are not going into the waste stream. We even reuse the plastic bags that our wholesale orders come in as our garbage bags. However, what has been most exciting is that we are the first pharmacy in Nova Scotia to offer a reusable glass bottle option for prescriptions! In just over 2 years, I am proud to say we have diverted almost 5000 plastic pill bottles from the landfill! In our front store, we carry typical drug store items such as shampoo, deodorant, etc. But we carry them in bulk. Customers can bring their own containers and fill however much of the product they are looking for and only pay for the weight of what they are purchasing. This often saves folks money (e.g., about $3 for 1L of dish soap). We try to carry as many package-free or low-packaging products as we can!
What is one thing you wish all patients knew about what pharmacists can do?
Clinical services!!! Even though awareness is improving, there are still many people who believe we can only dispense prescriptions written by a doctor or nurse practitioner. They are still unaware that we can prescribe for many conditions and renew prescriptions, etc…
What makes you proud to be a pharmacist?
The expanding scope makes me very proud to be a pharmacist. Being able to practice to our full ability and provide optimal patient care is very rewarding. Helping patients reach their health goals makes me very proud to be a pharmacist.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your practice, or about anything else that is important to you?
I am so honored to be able to practice in my hometown. Our community has been so supportive, and we want them to know we value them as much as they value us. Also, starting a low-waste lifestyle can be overwhelming, but anything we can do to reduce waste is a step in the right direction.
