PAM2021 Commstoolkit Final.Pdf
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1 Contents About PAM 3 10 ways to get involved 4 Key messages 6 Email & newsletter template 7 #MyFavePharm Contest 8 Celebrate your pharmacy team 9 Social media posts 10 Graphics 14 Printable material 16 2 About PAM Each March we celebrate the contributions that pharmacy professionals make to our health-care system and help educate Canadians about the health-care services and advice their pharmacists are now delivering. This year, we’ve put a new spin on things. Pharmacy Awareness Month has moved from ‘awareness’ to ‘appreciation’ to better reflect and celebrate the extraordinary role pharmacy professionals play in health care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in celebrating Pharmacy Appreciation Month this March! This toolkit This toolkit includes a range of information and resources to help you celebrate PAM and communicate your activities to your stakeholders, patients and the public. National and provincial pharmacy associations, pharmacy students and pharmacy professionals from across Canada will be celebrating PAM 2021 throughout March. Join the conversation and use some of these resources to get started. Visit pharmacists.ca/pam for more resources and information. About CPhA The Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA) is the uniting national voice of pharmacy and the pharmacist profession in Canada. As pharmacists undertake an enhanced role in the delivery of health care services, CPhA ensures that the profession is recognized as a national leader in health care, influencing the policies, programs, budgets and initiatives affecting the profession and the health of Canadians. More information is available at www.pharmacists.ca. Follow us: @CPhAAPhC @CPhA @cpha_aphc CPhATV 3 10 ways to get involved 1. Social media Join the conversation on social media throughout the month of March to celebrate Pharmacy Appreciation Month. Use the sample messages and graphics in this toolkit to get started, and don’t forget to use the hashtags #PAM2021 and #ThankYouPharmacy. 2. Say thanks or share some kudos A thank you is pretty simple…but can be pretty powerful too! Whether you are a patient who wants to thank the pharmacy team you depend on or a pharmacy professional who wants to acknowledge your colleagues, don’t be shy this March! The past year has been filled with unprecedented challenges and pharmacy professionals have gone above and beyond! Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ThankYouPharmacy if you are using social media. 3. Engage your patients Start a conversation with your patients to let them know about the support and services you provide. Host a virtual community info session to describe the services available at your pharmacy or to highlight a particular health issue you can help them with (e.g., medication management, diabetes or heart health). Display PAM posters at your pharmacy counter and/or in your waiting area. 4. Expand your role Become more familiar with expanded scope of practice in your province and incorporate new services into your daily practice. Advance your practice with one of CPhA’s high-quality continuing professional development programs or check out our Webinar Library for lots of great learning opportunities. 5. Email and newsletters Use/adapt the newsletter template or use the key messages found in this toolkit to communicate to your members or stakeholders about Pharmacy Appreciation Month. 6. Celebrate your pharmacy team Put the ‘appreciation’ into Pharmacy Appreciation Month! It’s been a tough one, so give your pharmacy team (and yourself) a much-deserved pat on the back! If you are an owner or manager, we’ve put together a few simple ways (see pg. 9) you can show your pharmacy team some love! 4 7. Get Inspired Contact your provincial pharmacy associations or follow them on social media to gain inspiration from what others are doing to promote PAM. Alberta Pharmacists Association Association québécoise des pharmaciens propriétaires Twitter: @ABPharmacists Twitter: @VotrePharmacien Facebook: RxA Facebook: @pharmaciensproprietaires Website: https://rxa.ca/ Website: http://www.monpharmacien.ca/ British Columbia Pharmacy Association Pharmacists Manitoba Twitter: @bc_pharmacy Twitter: @PharmacistsMB Facebook: @BCPharmacy.ca Facebook: Pharmacists-Manitoba Website: https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/ Website: https://www.pharmacistsmb.ca/ New Brunswick Pharmacists Association Ontario Pharmacists Association Twitter: @PharmacistsNB Twitter: @OntPharmacists Facebook: @NBPharmacists Facebook: @OntPharmacists Website: http://www.nbpharma.ca/ Website: http://www.opatoday.com/ Pharmacists’ Association of Newfoundland & Labrador Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia Twitter: @PANLupdates Twitter: @PharmacyNS Facebook:@pharmacistsnewfoundlandandlabrador Facebook: @PharmacyNS Website: http://panl.net/ Website: http://www.pans.ns.ca/ Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan Prince Edward Island Pharmacists Association Twitter: @PAS_SK Twitter: @PEIPharmacists Facebook: @saskatchewanpharmacists Facebook: PEI Pharmacists Website: http://www.skpharmacists.ca/ Website: https://peipha.com/ 8. Tell us why you are #ProudToBePharmacy Share your pride for the pharmacy profession! We’ve asked some Canadian pharmacy leaders what makes them proud to be a pharmacy professional and we’ll be sharing their messages on social media throughout the month. We want to hear from you! Post a message or video using the hashtag #ProudToBePharmacy. 9. Share our PAM contest We are asking patients to tell us why they love their pharmacy team in our #MyFavePharm contest! Those who complete nomination forms will be entered into a draw for an opportunity to win a tablet for both themself and their favourite pharmacy team member! Share the contest link with your network! 10. Spread the word with your local community and media Reach out to local tv, radio, newspapers or community groups to tell them about Pharmacy Appreciation Month and talk to them about your pharmacy’s services and what pharmacists can do! Take a look at some of the messaging in this toolkit for some inspiration. 5 Key messages PAM’s new focus: Pharmacy Awareness Month, the annual national campaign that shines a spotlight on all things pharmacy, is moving from ‘awareness’ to ‘appreciation’ this March to better reflect and celebrate the extraordinary role pharmacists play in health care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmacy has played an essential role on the front lines of the pandemic: Staying open and accessible throughout the pandemic, the pharmacy community stepped up like never before to answer questions, allay concerns, provide additional health-care services and give a record number of flu shots, all while putting in the necessary procedures to protect their staff and patients. Pharmacists are accessible: Convenient, accessible and close to home, Canada’s pharmacists are there for you when you need them — including evenings and weekends. With more than 42,500 pharmacists in Canada, working in over 10,500 pharmacies, pharmacists are the most accessible health-care providers in the country — a fact that became more apparent than ever throughout COVID-19. Seeing a pharmacist generally requires no appointment, and their convenient locations mean that pharmacies are close by for most Canadians, wherever they live. Pharmacists are doing more for patients than ever before: Although each province and territory is different, pharmacists across the country are able to deliver a broader range of services compared to just a few years ago and there are more reasons than ever to visit your pharmacist. By providing new services, such as renewing prescriptions, administering vaccinations, medication management services and assessing/prescribing for minor ailments and conditions, Canada’s pharmacists are doing more for their patients than ever before and helping to ensure Canadians have accessible care during COVID-19. Pharmacists are providing value to the health-care system: By reducing the number of people needing hospitalization, visiting emergency rooms, or even needing to book appointments with a family doctor, pharmacists are helping to save the health-care system money. With an even greater scope of practice, pharmacists could deliver even greater efficiencies to Canada’s health system. Pharmacists are trusted: Pharmacists consistently rank as one of the most trusted professions in Canada and Canadians see their pharmacist more often than any other health-care professional. More than half of patients with health issues seek out a pharmacist first, before any other practitioner. Pharmacists are essential: The pandemic has brought into clear focus the essential role pharmacists play in our health-care system, and Canadians are taking note. In a recent national survey, 70% of Canadians viewed pharmacists as essential — an almost 10% increase from before the pandemic. Pharmacists are health-care leaders: As members of a collaborative health-care team, pharmacists are playing a leading role in helping to find solutions to some of the key challenges facing our health-care system, such as addressing the opioid crisis, improving mental health care, increasing immunization rates, deprescribing/polypharmacy and reducing the burden on the emergency and primary health system. Due to the pandemic’s impact on these health-care challenges, the role of pharmacists is more important than ever. 6 Email & newsletter template Here is an email/newsletter template to help you communicate to your members or stakeholders about PAM 2021. Customize it to fit your organization, consider