Experts from the University of Waterloo are available for media interviews about their Op-Ed piece (“Access to birth control isn't just about doctors”) that appears in the Ottawa Citizen today.

Most Canadians are unaware that pharmacists in several provinces including Ontario can renew common, long-term prescriptions such as birth control pills and blood pressure medications. The authors cite the recent controversy around Kate Desjardins, an Ottawa woman who was denied a birth control prescription renewal for religious reasons by all three physicians at a walk-in clinic.

Dr. Kelly Grindrod, assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy and cross-appointed to the School of Public Health & Health Systems, is an expert in professional practice and delivery of primary care services through community-based pharmacies. 

A clinician who has a moral or religious objection can deny care but only if they ensure their patient can access the same care from another clinician. As the debate continues, we should consider all the options. When we talk about ways to access medications, we can start by making sure the pharmacist is on the list.

Kelly Grindrod

Dr. Sherilyn Houle, assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy, is an expert in pharmacists’ expanding roles in providing health care including prescribing, administering injections, and ordering and interpreting lab tests. 

Of all the health providers on the team, pharmacists are the most accessible, with over 30,000 practicing pharmacists across the country. Many pharmacists work in rural and remote locations and many more work in stores open 24 hours each day, with no appointment needed.

Sherilyn Houle

If you are headed to the cottage this weekend and just realized you are out of refills for your blood pressure pills, maybe it is worth stopping by the pharmacy to see how they can help you.”

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