" At Weller Pharmacy, our pharmacists and staff are dedicated, caring, and provide top-quality and non-judgemental customer service to our partners and clients. We take our mission statement and core values seriously—they drive everything that we do. "
Tarek has more than 2 5years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, demonstrating strong account management, building lasting relationships through performance and credibility while displaying an uncompromising focus on customer needs fulfillment. He regards integrity, reputation, and professionalism as critical components of his business philosophy.
Prior to opening Weller Pharmacy, Tarek worked in several pharmacies in Ontario, including the Napanee Richmond Medical Pharmacy, the Kingston Providence Care Hospital (Mental Health Services), and Kingston’s Target Pharmacy.
For Weller Pharmacy, he is responsible for providing leadership and guidance to all Weller pharmacy’s staff to ensure excellent customer service; continuously assessing customer needs in order to identify new services or products to enhance pharmacy operations; maintaining complete and accurate records of services performed as required by the Ontario College of Pharmacists (OCP); managing staff; and carrying out all pharmacist functions, within scope of practice, in accordance with provincial regulations and standards of practice.
Leading with a Corporate Social Responsibility vision, Tarek enabled Weller Pharmacy to become the first Pharmacy in Ontario designated as a sustainable business and a Living Wage Champion. Further, it’s one of the early small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region to sign the Inclusion Charter, a city of Kingston’s initiative to Promote Inclusion and Diversity in the Workplace.
In addition to his commitment to Weller Pharmacy, Tarek offers Clinical Pharmacy Consultations to his clients at Kingston Integrated Healthcare Inc. that includes Deprescribing, Polypharmacy, Medical Cannabis and much more.
Tarek earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy, MBA, Chartered Manager designation, and is a registered pharmacist in Ontario. With his extensive background in management, business, and pharmaceutical services, he provides a high quality of service that his clients value and expect.
Tarek’s involvement in the community includes:
Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce:
1st Vice Chair 2020
Member of the Board of Directors, 2018 – Current
KEYS Jobs Centre:
Member of the Board of Directors, 2019 – current
Member of the Newcomers Empowering Business Strategic Advisory Group (SAG), 2018 – current
Guest Speaker, and Professional Mentor, 2015 – current
Member of the “Community Response to Neighborhood Concerns” Area 1 Committee, 2019 – Current
Ontario College of Pharmacist
Assessor, 2016 – current
Preceptor, 2012 – 2018
Dave Vyas is a well-known pharmacist in the Kingston community, having dedicated his entire career to helping local clients with their pharmaceutical needs. He has more than 40 years of experience as a senior-level pharmacist and pharmacy manager/owner for companies such as Shoppers Drug Mart, Zellers, Wallace’s Guardian in Napanee, Richmond Medical Pharmacy, and Target. Mr. Vyas holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto and is a registered pharmacist with the OCP.
At Weller Pharmacy we believe in giving back to our community. Here are some activities that we have been proud to support in the best 6 years.
KAMHA was created in the Summer of 2008 and is the result of the joining of the former Kingston Township and Kingston Minor Hockey Associations. KAMHA is a full participating member of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). We sponsored the KAMHA Major Atom A Team from 2015 to 2016.
Frontenac Flyers are a Junior ice hockey team based in Verona, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Empire B Junior C Hockey League of the Ontario Hockey Association. We sponsored the Frontenac Flyers Bantam Rep Team from 2015 to 2016.
Easter Seals Ontario provides programs and services to children and youth with physical disabilities across Ontario to help them achieve greater independence, accessibility and integration. We were the Silver Sponsors of the Kingston Easter Seals Week 2018.
KHS was founded in 1884 to provide shelter and care for homeless animals and investigate cases of animal cruelty in Kingston and the surrounding communities. We promote responsible pet ownership and compassion and respect for all animals. We were the Silver Sponsors of the Kingston Humane Society Big Paws event in 2018.
The Festival hosts live performances, art workshops and plenty of different traditional dishes from countries all over the world. The vibrancy and richness of this event are vital in promoting and sustaining cultural and artistic activities in Kingston. Weller Pharmacy supports multiculturalism as we are a multicultural pharmacy ourselves which is a true reflection of the diversity of cultures in our beautiful country.
National Wall of Remembrance Assn. This project will create a single place of remembrance for all our fallen heroes - a place that families, friends and the general public can visit and remember. It will incorporate the names of the Canadians fallen in all conflicts of record, starting with the earliest. It's a Wall of Remembrance for both the living and the dead, a unique project by veterans and other proud Canadians.
Pharmacists play an important role in the everyday health of our communities, providing high-quality primary care services that lead to better health outcomes. As pharmacies continue to expand their scope of practice and available healthcare services for their patients, you can count on our team to always apply the best and most up-to-date practices and provide the highest quality of care.
SMOKING CESSATION CLINIC
First attempts are often unsuccessful. You know this already if you’ve tried to quit smoking. Find support to make your next attempt the one that sticks. Talk to our pharmacist about over-the-counter products or about a prescription that can help you quit smoking for good including up to a year of pharmacist-assisted counselling
DIABETES MANAGEMENT CLINIC
Pharmacists play an important role in diabetes management and are ideally positioned to take on even greater responsibilities to help their patients better manage their diabetes and ease the strain of chronic disease on the health care system. Pharmacists are able to provide counselling about monitoring glucose levels and managing out-of-range levels, including developing an action plan for what to do if sugar levels go too low. A pharmacist can help patients select the most appropriate hypoglycemic management strategy on an individual basis.
Pharmacists can counsel on an appropriate diet and exercise routine to complement medication management in treating diabetes—this can be especially useful in underserved areas where access to nutritionists or dieticians may be unavailable. For patients requiring insulin, the pharmacist can help instruct the patient on how to administer the medication, as well as answer common questions and concerns. With prompt diagnosis, proper lifestyle changes, and appropriate pharmacotherapy, patients can minimize and/or delay the complications that uncontrolled diabetes can cause.
IMMUNIZATIONS CLINIC
As of December 2016, pharmacists are able to vaccinate patients, five years of age and older, to protect against the following 13 preventable diseases:
1. Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG)
2. Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib)
3. Hepatitis A
4. Hepatitis B
5. Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
6. Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
7. Japanese Encephalitis
8. Meningococcal disease
9. Pneumococcal disease
10. Rabies
11. Typhoid
12. Varicella
13. Yellow Fever
FLU SHOTS
The flu (influenza) is a contagious virus that anyone can get. But
there are several things you can do to avoid catching it or spreading it to others. The flu shot is your best defence. It is: safe, free and available at Weller Pharmacy from late fall to early spring for 5 years and older.
DEPRESCRIBING
Deprescribing: Deprescribing is the planned and supervised process of dose reduction or stopping of medication that might be causing harm, or no longer be of benefit. Pharmacists play a key role in helping to reduce the number of medications their clients are taking
MEDSCHECK PROGRAM
The MedsCheck program is a one-on-one interview between the pharmacist and the patient to review the patient’s prescription and non-prescription medications. It encourages a better understanding of medication therapy helps to ensure that medications are taken as prescribed and that patients are getting the most benefit from their medications.
HOME VISITS
The MedsCheck at Home medication review program is for those patients who are not able to physically attend the community pharmacy in person for a MedsCheck due to their physical and/or mental health condition. During the home visit, the pharmacist may also conduct a medicine cabinet review and remove unused drugs for proper disposal at the pharmacy. The objectives of the MedsCheck at Home include:
BLISTER PACKAGING
Blister packaging: Also known as Multi-medication compliance aids, offer a safe and effective approach to managing medication therapy by placing different medications in the same compartment, organized by dosing intervals. Some of the benefits of this approach to treatment include:
Effective treatment of a condition requiring multiple medications through optimal dosing and incorporation of several medications (prescription and non-prescription) in one place;
Better clarity and transparency of treatment through more effective communications between health professionals and patients
Improved drug utilization while minimizing waste.
OPIOID AGONIST TREATMENT PROGRAM
Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) Program: Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is an effective treatment for addiction to opioid drugs such as heroin, oxycodone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), fentanyl and Percocet. The therapy involves taking the opioid agonists methadone (Methadose) or buprenorphine (Suboxone). These medications work to prevent withdrawal and reduce cravings for opioid drugs. People who are addicted to opioid drugs can take OAT to help stabilize their lives and to reduce the harms related to their drug use. We, at Weller Pharmacy, are playing a unique role in ensuring that our clients receive those treatments in a safe manner, and in a safe community environment.
TAKE HOME NALOXONE PROGRAM
Take Home Naloxone Program: Weller Pharmacy dispenses both Intra-nasal naloxone spray (INNS) and injectable naloxone emergency kits free-of-charge to eligible patients through the Ontario Naloxone Pharmacy Program (ONPP). Our pharmacist will provide the kit, training and counselling to our clients receiving the kit.
HARM REDUCTION SUPPLIES
Harm Reduction Supplies: Weller Pharmacy is a licensed distributor of harm reduction supplies as part of the Needle Exchange Program. Through the distribution of sterile, single-use equipment and better knowledge transfer, we can help communities stay safer and healthier.
COUNSELLING SERVICES
Patient counselling in pharmacy is more than simply providing information. The term “counselling” is defined as giving advice but also implies mutual discussion and exchange of opinions, generally between a professional and a client. It has been suggested that counselling is much like psychotherapy. They both involve listening, questioning, evaluating, interpreting, supporting, explaining, informing, advising and ordering. However, psychotherapy emphasizes listening, while listening and informing are of equal importance in counselling. In the context of pharmacy, the term patient education is used interchangeably with counselling. Theory tells us that education is “instruction and development to impart skills and knowledge,” to cause a progressive change in attitudes, behaviour and knowledge. When we engage in patient counselling in pharmacy, we interact with the patient by both informing and listening, with the intention of changing the patient’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviour with regard to their health and medication use.
PHARMACEUTICAL OPINION
Pharmaceutical Opinion is a clinical intervention that occurs at the time of dispensing a prescription or when conducting a MedsCheck review, in which a pharmacist identifies a potential concern that requires consultation with the prescriber. Based on this, the medication may be dispensed as prescribed, it may not be dispensed, or the therapy may be adjusted or changed.
PRESCRIPTION TRANSFERS
Patients are free to move prescriptions to the pharmacy that’s most convenient for them. It is easy for us at Weller Pharmacy to transfer prescriptions from one pharmacy to another. When a prescription is transferred to us, all remaining refills are transferred with it to our pharmacy.
Speciality Compounding is the art and science of creating a particular pharmaceutical product to fit the unique need of a patient (either human or animal) when a commercially available drug does not meet those needs. Compounding applications can include:
MEDICATIONS RETURN PROGRAM
Medications Return Program covers all prescription drugs, medications such as over-the-counter medications, including topical antibiotic and antifungal creams and natural health products that are orally ingested, such as vitamins and minerals, traditional Chinese medicines, herbal products, probiotics, amino acids, homeopathic medicines and the like are also included.
SHARPS COLLECTION
Sharps Collection Program: covers infusion sets, lancets, needles, pen needles, safety pens, prefilled cartridges, prefilled syringes and syringes.
Originally Posted on KIHC.CA on June 1, 2018 When you have a question about your…
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