It was just over one year ago that the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada (IPPC) was announced to pharmacists and pharmacy stakeholders at CPhA’s 2022 Canadian Pharmacy Conference. IPPC founder, Dr. Jaris Swidrovich, and I introduced the vision for our new organization: a community that empowers and increases representation of Indigenous pharmacy professionals, with a mission to contribute to the evolution of pharmacy practice to better understand, resolve and prevent Indigenous health systems inequity, anti-Indigenous racism and inequitable health disparities for Indigenous patients. It was, and still is, a major undertaking, but we wanted to share some highlights from our first year and preview some of what’s next for IPPC!
Once the organization secured funding, we established operations. I moved into the Chief Executive Officer position, and we hired Dr. Gezina Baehr as our Chief Operating Officer to lead our projects. We then established a 12-member board of directors, including women, men and 2-spirit individuals, practising in a range of settings and with varied ancestries, to represent diverse Indigenous and pharmacy practice perspectives.
With our board and operations in place, we were able to focus our efforts on activities contributing to our mission and vision. In consultation with Indigenous communities across the country, many national reports have been completed in an effort to address the historic and ongoing harms to Indigenous Peoples in Canada. These reports make consistent recommendations regarding systemic health issues for Indigenous patients, and increasing the number of practising Indigenous health professionals and empowering their voices and perspectives is one that is incredibly important to us. In partnership with CPhA, we proudly launched the IPPC Indigenous Pharmacy Scholarship this year, which will provide PharmD and pharmacy technician students access to education funding, reducing financial barriers and enhancing the interest of Indigenous youth in a pharmacy career. We also launched our Orange Shirt Campaign, with an Every Child Matters shirt designed specifically for pharmacy professionals by a First Nations artist from Songhees First Nation.
IPPC has received numerous requests for consultation from pharmacy stakeholders who have the intention to accept their own Truth and their role in Reconciliation, and wish to bridge the gaps in comprehension, training, standards and practice that continue to contribute to Indigenous health inequity. Our organization is engaged in reviewing research proposals, pharmacy regulation consultations, third-party payer collaborations and reform, policy recommendations, and Indigenous health and cultural competency training for multiple stakeholders.
This work is founded in challenges and barriers. Much of the pharmacy practice evolution that is required to address historical and current harms to Indigenous communities is rooted in established systems of operations, and in denial of the holistic factors involved in health that occur outside of the biomedical model of medicine. As Indigenous pharmacy professionals, we are representing 2 identities, and bridging those realms requires extensive collaboration and consultation from stakeholders, leaders, decision-makers and knowledge keepers on both sides.
The structural and systemic gaps and barriers for Indigenous patients are vast, but the pharmacy model has the potential to meet these needs through expanded scope, collaborative practice models and reform of internal systems that exacerbate or contribute to these barriers. IPPC seeks to empower all pharmacy professionals with the connections, innovations and foundational training to innovate these solutions. Internally, we are actively pursuing research grants and other funding opportunities to lead the development of training, practice tools and policy recommendations for pharmacy professionals and our systems.
In terms of membership and communications, IPPC is launching a new website, in development by Indigenous web design company, Animikii, which will serve to connect our community and empower them with opportunities and resources. We also launched the first edition of our newsletter, “Shared Wisdom,” which highlighted the membership process, our first AGM and key events and deliverables. Membership is now open for all pharmacy professionals with Indigenous ancestry.
This August, our board will meet for a structured strategic planning and board development gathering. Communal healing through community and culture will take place, and IPPC members are invited to join us for fireside evening events at Dakota Dunes Resort, in Whitecap, Saskatchewan, which will include local cultural presentations, music, dancing and networking. IPPC was founded to resolve a significant gap in safety, including feelings of isolation and prejudice, among its members. We look forward to this and many events where our members can “come home” to our new community.
We’re looking forward to the year to come, the connection to our members and our communities and the empowerment of Indigenous voices and perspectives in the evolution of pharmacy practice!
Learn more at www.pharmacists.ca/ippc or connect with us at indigenous@pharmacists.ca.
Biography
Amy Lamb, BSP, is a member of Métis Nation Saskatchewan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada, and the Director of Northern Health for WillowGrove Pharmacy Prince Albert. Her practice experience includes onsite clinical support and operational design of medication access to remote Indigenous Nations, and person-centered comprehensive health coaching, with a focus on women’s health. Amy has extensive experience in advocacy for pharmacy and socioeconomic programs, and is the Chair of the board of directors for the YWCA Prince Albert.