An enlightening and inspiring Day 7 at Hamilton!

On Day 7 in our Stop Cuts Student Tour, we went to Hamilton. A pharmacist owner of 2 Pharmasave pharmacies (independently owned) had taken note from the Facebook group and Zenah’s blog that we were on a student tour to spread awareness of the healthcare funding issues to different communities. She was gracious enough to provide us with a place to meet and talk with other pharmacists and patients who were equally concerned about these issues. On top of that, she had provided us with lunch. I cannot thank her enough for her incredible hospitality!

During this time, we met many pharmacists who were owners or had worked in nearby pharmacies. They were all equally supportive of our time and efforts to advocate for the profession and rally for more public support to reverse this bill. They each gave a little speech about their points of view, as well as how they have been trying to gain support on the store level. While all of the pharmacists were very inspiring, what particularly caught my attention were the words and the depth of knowledge of a pharmacist named F. Thus, I had found myself in a lengthy, but very enlightening conversation with F with two of my second-year classmates. I also cannot thank F enough for engaging me in many more issues in the pharmacy profession beyond the tour and for his inspiration. I promise to explore further in these issues and to spread his message (stay tuned for that!).

After the media event and conversations at the pharmacy, we had rallied in Downtown Hamilton while educating the public about the funding cuts on pharmacy services. I had met some interesting people, including an Aboriginal, who understood the importance of the services and advice that pharmacists give and how they improve the health of many patients each day, particularly Aboriginals. Brief discussions were made about how I, as a pharmacy student, understood the importance of the Aboriginal lifestyle, replacing the order of Aboriginal communities and health promotion to deal with the diabetes epidemic in Aboriginal communities. Furthermore, it was tied back to the pharmacy profession’s contributions to helping such remote communities by providing them primary care. It’s a morale booster upon seeing that communities of so many backgrounds are there to support your cause and promise to let their voices be heard.

We had canvassed in the Dundas area briefly after a successful rally. Although the residential area canvassing was not nearly as successful, one must be optimistic about spreading awareness and initiating the train of thought about the long-term consequences of healthcare quality should these funding cuts follow through. However, we have tomorrow to look forward - next stop is London, and it will be in Deb Matthews' riding! This shall be interesting...