Shepherd’s Care Foundation (SCF) is and will continue to be a large part of the community in Barrhead.
That is what John Pray, CEO and president of SCF, told the Barrhead Leader during a telephone interview on Tuesday, March 29.
The Leader called SCF to give them a chance to explain why the organization decided to change who provides pharmacy services to all of its supportive-living facilities.
SCF is a non-profit organization, which was founded in 1970, in an effort to provide various levels of care to low and middle income seniors allowing them to age in place in a Christian environment. Its Barrhead facility opened in 2007.
“Seniors’ care over the last number of years has changed dramatically and it will continue to do so,” Pray said. “Residents are staying in their homes, farms and apartments longer and as a result the people we see today in our facilities like Shepherd’s Care Barrhead are the equivalent of what long-term care was just a couple of years ago.”
As a result, Pray said the health issues of seniors are growing more complex and SCF is always looking for ways to improve how they provide services to their clients, adding that is the main reason why SCF decided to make a change in how it provides pharmacy services in all its facilities.
“Having 40 plus residents and having five pharmacies in there providing service logistically can be a bit difficult. So considering the complexity of the residents, we went to one pharmacy provider,” he said, adding it is a trend that is happening throughout the industry. “In Alberta Health Services’ guidelines they strongly recommend one pharmacy for residents in these types of supportive living homes.”
As for why and how Pharmacare Pharmacy in Edmonton was chosen, Pray said it was in large part due to their previous relationship with the company, noting that SCF did not open up the process to tender.
“Pharmacare is very experienced and we’ve known these people for quite some time and we’ve seen how they’ve invested heavily in seniors, long-term care and designated living and they have experience in rural Alberta,” he said, adding they also felt the Edmonton pharmacy could deal with the other regulatory changes. “The government recently reviewed and upgraded the health standards that guide our operations, and as a result there are more requirements on the pharmacy side that we felt, due to our history with them, that Pharmacare could provide.”
The Leader then asked if SCF had any concerns about the ability to provide pharmacy services to Barrhead Shepherd’s Care residents who may need medication in a timely manner given the distance to Edmonton
“Not at all,” Pray said, adding from his information, residents of the Barrhead facility and their families did not report any concerns. Earlier in the day, SCF representatives held an informational session on the change of pharmacy services.
Pray also noted that just because SCF has decided to make this change does not mean they are any less dedicated to Barrhead.
“We have and will continue to support the community whenever we can. We are really grateful to be in the community,” he said. “One of the best things that ever happened to Shepherd’s Care is when we were fortunate to open the project. And we are hoping to be able to add on to the campus with either an apartment building or a condo.”
