Campaign focuses on evidence-based solutions to improve mental health and resources for Canadian pharmacies

We’re delighted to announce our sponsorship of the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) Pharmacy Workforce Wellness Initiative, the first national campaign aimed at promoting mental health and resilience within the pharmacy profession in Canada.

Lingering high workloads, mounting pressures and staffing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to strain the workforce. According to a 2023 national CPhA survey, the profession is still struggling with 79% of pharmacy professionals at risk of burnout, while abuse and harassment from patients remains high and retention for pharmacy professionals is a significant concern.

As the national voice and advocate for pharmacists, the CPhA launched this initiative to address the declining wellbeing of pharmacy professionals post-pandemic by researching core causes of stress and burnout and identifying evidence-based solutions to help improve morale.

“The wellbeing of pharmacy professionals – the most accessible healthcare providers with an expanding role in primary care – is critical,” says Steve MacNeill, SVP, Pharmacy Market – Canada for Jones Healthcare. “As close partners to pharmacy teams for over 100 years, we are strong advocates and proud supporters of CPhA’s important work to prioritize wellbeing, while seeking to secure a strong future for the field.”

Through this initiative and working with a team of dedicated pharmacy professionals, CPhA recently released its Wellness Toolkit  to help address the support gap for the profession. As one of the first resources from this campaign, the toolkit will continue to evolve. The CPhA is also working to address resourcing issues by advocating for investment in health human resources and workforce planning, facilitating entry into practice for new graduates and internationally trained pharmacists, promoting student loan forgiveness and more.

As the association continues developing more resilience-building solutions, the Pharmacy Workforce Wellness Initiative remains committed to ensuring that Canadian pharmacists can continue to provide exceptional care while maintaining their own well-being.

For more information about the Pharmacy Wellness Initiative visit the CPhA website.