Pharmacy team

Barbara Jardine, Linda Pewarchuk, Dana Beaumont, Garrett Wiebe

Balancing efficiency, safety and patient care requires a team that can adapt, innovate and make the best use of available resources. The pharmacy team at St. Joseph’s General Hospital does exactly that, ensuring medication management across multiple healthcare sites is seamless, cost-effective and patient-focused.

This dedicated team provides distribution and clinical pharmacy services to several locations, including an Alberta Health Services long-term care site in Vegreville, Mary Immaculate Care Centre long-term care and Our Lady of the Rosary acute care and long-term care. They expertly manage competing demands, ensuring each site receives the support needed while also stepping in to assist other pharmacy teams when staffing shortages arise.

Always seeking ways to improve efficiency and reduce waste, the team implemented a proactive refill system for bulk and multidose medications in long-term care. By closely monitoring inventory, they prevent unnecessary refills, reduce medication waste and eliminate last-minute urgent orders — saving time, costs and resources. This initiative also frees up nurses to focus more on direct patient care.

In addition, their commitment to medication reconciliation at transitions of care significantly reduces medication errors and improves patient safety. By completing thorough medication histories at admission and discharge, they lessen the burden on nurses, physicians and community pharmacists, allowing them to dedicate more time to patient-focused tasks.

Through innovation, responsibility and a commitment to stewardship, the St. Joseph’s General Hospital’s pharmacy team not only optimizes medication management but also enhances patient safety, reduces environmental impact and strengthens healthcare delivery across multiple sites.