Lambton County working on approvals for handful of pharmacists ready to give vaccinations

Feature, Lambton County — By JD Booth on October 10, 2012 at 3:41 pm

Fewer than half a dozen pharmacists in the Sarnia-Lambton area will be able to administer flu vaccine shots beginning Oct. 22, the result of a change in scope of practice for pharmacists that has been announced by the province.

One of those who has taken the requisite training to provide this service is Paul Haggerty, co-owner of Bright’s Grove Family Pharmacy Remedy Rx.

Haggery told LambtonShield.com that once all approvals are in place, he will be able to administer vaccination shots, including for the seasonal flu, during hours that he is on duty.

Approval to give vaccinations is by pharmacist, not the store (the co-owner, Haggerty’s wife Kelly, for example, is not one of the pharmacists who has taken the training required).

Vicki Hawksworth, Lambton County’s supervisor, Environmental Health & Prevention Services, said approvals for a total of five pharmacists in Lambton County are underway, although she declined to reveal who is on the list for pending approval.

Haggerty said some 600 pharmacists throughout the province have taken the course which qualifies them.

Final authority to begin the service comes from the Lambton County Community Health Service, which, among other things, inspects the pharmacies involved to make sure they have the proper storage for vaccinations.