March 20, 2020

To our valued Customers, Friends and Family,

The health and wellness of our patients and staff is very important to us.  We are following provincial regulations very carefully and taking extra precautions to care for our patients and our staff while working through reduced staffing and increased demand at our pharmacies.

To ensure the health and wellbeing of our patients and our staff, you will see changes in our pharmacies.  We have rolled out increased sanitation and cleaning protocols at our stores.  Some locations will be installing protective barriers such as plexiglass or plastic shields to safeguard and protect customers and employees.  Some pharmacies are also limiting the number of people in the store at one time, asking customers to shop alone or in decreased numbers, and come in with a prepared list of items to purchase.  Any employees who feel sick are staying home, and any employees who have travelled or have been exposed to others who have travelled or exposed in other ways are being asked to follow the recommended procedures by health authorities. To ensure the safety of our staff and their continued ability to serve you, It is important that customers follow these same guidelines when thinking about visiting our pharmacy locations.

As new information and new regulations continue to roll out, we are doing everything we can to keep your health and safety as our number one priority, while also introducing additional procedures as required.

There are a few ways that you, our valued customers can help;

• Practice good cough etiquette at all times.
• Practice good hand hygiene by using alcohol-based hand sanitizers and soap and water when hands are visibly soiled.
• Observe the social distancing suggestions of keeping 2 meters (2 arm’s lengths) between you and others while in the pharmacy.
• Don’t stockpile supplies or medications.
• Ask your Doctor’s office to FAX your prescriptions direct to the pharmacy.  This cuts down on a trip to the pharmacy.
• Use automated phone systems or mobile apps (where available) to order prescription refills.
• Call in advance of coming into the pharmacy if you have symptoms of respiratory illness or have been in contact with someone who does.
• Arrange your prescriptions to be picked up or delivered.  We will deliver more than just your prescriptions, we can also deliver any other store items you need at no extra cost.

We will be following these new procedures in our pharmacies ASAP as a precaution:

• We will not be accepting returns or taking back used SHARPS containers and post-consumer returned meds for disposal, used vials for refills (plastic or glass) until further notice.
• Vials will not be handled by staff for prescription numbers, please either call in your prescription or use the appropriate store app.
• We will not be accepting product returns at this time.
• We ask that customers attempt to use card or ‘tap’ features whenever possible, eliminating or minimizing the use of cash.

We are an essential service, and while the way you shop may change, we can assure that you will never be without our services.  Every step we take will be to ensure you get the medications and services you need, and to keep you and our employees healthy.  While our staff are highly trained healthcare professionals, please remember they are also Moms, Dads, daughters and sons, and people looking after the wellbeing of their own families.  We appreciate your patience and understanding as we take these extra steps to ensure the wellbeing of you, your family, and our staff.

Let’s work together to keep our communities healthy.

Sincerely,

Terry Stychin
Chief Executive Officer
Rubicon Pharmacies