Calling the shots on vaccine services

Pharmacy teams across Canada are keeping vaccine awareness on the forefront and improving immunization rates in the process. The Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy highlights the accomplishments of two pharmacies here. Both shared their stories as applicants for CFP’s inaugural Innovation in Vaccine Services Award, launched in 2024.

Jason Kmet

Since opening the Polaris Travel Clinic and Pharmacy in Airdrie, Alberta, in 2013, pharmacist Jason Kmet and his team have focused primarily on vaccines and travel health. As a result, their entire workflow is designed to accommodate these types of appointments, making the pharmacy look and feel like a physician-run medical office.

Once patients check in with the receptionist, the pharmacist brings them into the consultation room to do an assessment and prescribe vaccines and other medications as needed. The pharmacy assistant processes the orders and bills any insurance plans. Patients receive vaccinations in the injection room and are monitored for any side effects. Finally, the pharmacist ensures plans are in place for any booster doses. A smooth and streamlined process from start to finish.

Kmet and his team’s initiatives to promote and educate on the importance of vaccinations include a travel health podcast and monthly updates to local medical clinics about his pharmacy’s services. Polaris has become the ‘go to’ pharmacy for vaccinations and often receives referrals from medical clinics, pharmacies and public health offices.

“As a former colleague, I have seen first-hand the impact of Jason and his team in promoting, educating and administering vaccination,” said one of his nominators. “With his leadership, expertise, passion and delivery of vaccine services, Jason embodies the vision of [vaccine] innovation.”

Rexall Pharmacy’s corporate office and frontline teams in Ontario executed several initiatives—including an extensive media campaign—to increase vaccine awareness and sustain a thriving demand for vaccine services.

For example, a single consent form for multiple vaccinations streamlined the process, and enhancements to their booking platform enabled multi-service appointments. Rexall also provided options for walk-in appointments for flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as off-site vaccination clinics at schools, workplaces and retirement homes.

The numbers speak for themselves. Rexall’s teams administered more than 287,000 COVID-19 shots in 2023—a 60% increase compared to the previous year—as well as 23,000 vaccinations at 140 off-site clinics during the fall of 2023, an initiative that continued into the spring and fall of 2024. Meanwhile their media campaign garnered 228 pieces of media coverage, significantly boosting Rexall’s visibility and the public’s awareness of vaccine services.

“This multifaceted approach, combining high co-administration rates, significant vaccination numbers, and robust media engagement, highlights our success in enhancing vaccination coverage and accessibility,” noted the team in their application.

Perhaps Rexall’s impact is best captured in the words of the patient group from Chartwell Riverside Retirement Residence in London, Ontario: “We greatly appreciate all that you have done for Riverside…and are eagerly looking forward to having you back in the fall.”