Class of 2011 alumni Marc-André Gravel is the Executive Director of the Centre de santé communautaire de Kapuskasing et région, a Community Health Centre located in northern Ontario.
Kapuskasing, Marc-André’s home town, is over 7 hours northeast of Sault Ste. Marie by car. The town and the surrounding areas are about 70% francophone and are also home to many First Nations Canadians.
Many people in the area face limited access to primary healthcare providers: “All our front-line primary care is delivered by nurse practitioners and we have to maximize the scope of practice of each member of our allied health team,” says Marc-André.
Though he studied and worked in big cities in southern Ontario, as a pharmacist, Marc-André felt he had to return home: “Pharmacist representation is even more important in rural areas, which often lack the presence of multidisciplinary teams. It is essential to showcase what the profession is capable of doing and the patient-centered benefits associated with our work.”
The Pharmacists Support series is issued by the School of Pharmacy for #PAM2017. It runs every Tuesday and Thursday in March.