It’s easy to take pharmacies for granted or to overlook their importance within the healthcare continuum, but the COVID-19 outbreak really underscores the critical role pharmacies play within the continuum of care. Pharmacies connect the dots for patients by providing education they need to help them become a more informed consumer and empower them to become a more active participant in their healthcare decisions, whether those decisions are related to COVID-19 or their regular, ongoing health needs.
Pharmacies truly are the front lines of community healthcare. When retail closures are going on all around us, the pharmacy is considered an essential service and is one of the few places where people are getting their everyday needs met – from medications to grocery necessities to health services In extraordinary times like these, retail pharmacies have always risen to the occasion.
It’s reassuring to see that retail pharmacies continue to rapidly respond to such a serious public health crisis and continue to strategize and serve their customers and patients with the least amount of disruption.