The Re-Invention of a Pharmacy – Drugsmart and Limestone Physiotherapy in Sydenham

Jeff Green | Apr 05, 2012

At one time David Graham was a pharmacist/manager at a Shopper's Drug Mart in Calgary. He returned to Kingston, where his family is from, and was doing relief work at local pharmacies when he was approached by the Jetha family to manage their pharmacy in Sydenham.

“One of the things they were trying to do with the store was to expand its services to other areas of health care, to move beyond filling prescriptions and selling retail items,” he said. “And for me it brings an opportunity to evolve in what I do, to have less of technical workload and do more on the clinical side, to make the pharmacy more of a wellness centre.”

It's easy to see why this would be a way forward for a small, rural chain of pharmacies such as the Jethas have been building. Rather than competing with super-pharmacies such as Shoppers and Guardian, Sydenham Drugsmart has been working on providing the kinds of patient care that is only possible in a community setting.

David Graham is one of a few pharmacists in Ontario who has been trained as a diabetic specialist, and he has forged relationships with the Sydenham and Verona medical clinics. As well, Drugsmart has developed a smoking cessation program for patients who are trying to quit smoking.

The pharmacy has been renovated to create some clinic space at the rear of the building, and that has enabled Registered Physiotherapist Curtis Murray-Watters to bring the services of Limestone Health Physiotherapy to Sydenham. At the clinic, Murray-Watters provides manual therapy, a number of modalities for pain amelioration, home exercise programs, taping techniques, patient education and other services. He is also available for a free 15-minute consultation to help patients decide on a course of treatment.

“This is a great environment for me to work in,” Curtis said. “Since I started working here in September it has been very easy to get to know people in the community, and to start helping people with pain prevention and pain management, and promote fitness and wellness through activity.”

The physiotherapy services are often covered through insurance or workplace health plans.

Katie Casselman, a Registered Massage Therapist, also provides service at Sydenham Drugsmart through Limestone Health.

With the new services being offered at Sydenham Drugsmart, Sydenham now has a wide range of medical services available to serve the South Frontenac community, including the Sydenham Medical Centre, and the chiropractic and naturopath services that are also available.

“In the time that I've been working here I've learned that this is a close-knit community,” said David Graham. “There are also some issues around it being an ageing community, around osteoporosis and the need to stay active. Our goal is to make the services we offer fit the needs that people have. This is the future of the practice of pharmacy, to work with patients, to work with Limestone Health and others. We handle people’s pharmaceutical needs of course, but there is now a lot more to what we do than that. It's an exciting time.”

For more information call the pharmacy at 613-376-3842, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or physiotherapy at 613-376-1073; email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.