New pilot project in Weyburn will allow people to get mental health medications at pharmacy

WATCH: A new pilot project at a Weyburn pharmacy is aiming to broaden access to mental health supports. Donovan Maess has the details.

A new pilot project launched in Weyburn will give residents in southeastern Saskatchewan more access to mental health medications.

Pharmasave manager in Weyburn Laura Resler says patients often turn directly to her pharmacy for mental health care, but there was little support she could provide.

“We often see patients coming here as a first line of support to see how we could be helping if there was anything that we could do,” she told CTV News “Or even where they even access mental health services within Weyburn.”

That is until the launch of the new pilot.

The pilot sees an agreement with Dr. Thomas Ofuafor and the Weyburn Pharmasave, allowing Ofuafor’s patients to seek care for mental health medication management and support at the pharmacy, the province said.

“The collaborative practice agreement allows participating pharmacists to start patients on medications, change medications or dosages to optimize therapy, or discontinue medications, as necessary,” the Ministry of Health said.

“These are services we typically are providing anyway,” Resler said. “Now we’re just expanding our scope to extend this into mental health care.”

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Dr. Ofuafor says this will allow him to see more patients in a more efficient timeframe.

“[A psychiatrist’s] workload is very heavy,” he said. “Oftentimes, there is delay in following up with some patients.”

“Some don’t even have the first assessment, which we do everything to stabilize them,” Ofuafor added.

A second location in Weyburn, the Prairie Sky Co-op Pharmacy, is expected to join the pilot in early May and it could be expanded further, the province said.

According to the province, the pilot was inspired by the Swift Current Pharmacy Care Pilot Project that began in 2023 and helps increase patient access to health care options including mental health services.

The province said both pilots stem from its Action Plan for Mental Health that was announced in the fall of 2023 in support of an announcement earlier that year that expanded the scope of practice for three front line health care lines of work.

“We know our resources are really important and sometimes they’re limited,” Minister of Mental Health, Addictions, Rural and Remote Health Lori Carr said. “At times [a patient] may not actually need to see the doctor. A pharmacist is fully capable of handling that for them.”

“Anytime an individual doesn’t have to wait longer to see a professional, whether it’s a doctor or a pharmacist is a good day,” the minister added.

According to the province, there are nearly 1,300 practicing pharmacists in Saskatchewan across 430 licensed community pharmacies.

Those who are interested in determining their eligibility to participate in the pilot can contact Ofuafor and his team, the province said.