WESTBANK, British Columbia — Rexall has opened its latest Healthy Living Store, which is geared to help customers improve their health and wellness.
The Katz Group drug chain said the new location in Westbank, British Columbia, which opened its doors this past weekend, marks its seventh prototype since the format made its debut last fall.
"The scope of practice for pharmacists is rapidly changing at the same time across the country and is shifting the pharmacy service model," Rexall chief executive officer Andy Giancamilli said in a statement, referring to provicial health care and pharmacy reimbursement reforms in Canada. "Our next-generation Rexall Healthy Living prototype has a total wellness approach that’s rooted in the valuable role of the pharmacist as a vital member of the health care team. We’re here when you are sick or managing a chronic condition with expanded patient-focused services, and we are also making a great investment in helping you prevent illness with tools meant to empower customers to lead healthier lives. This is the future of pharmacy."
Ranging from 11,000 to 17,000 square feet and offering thousands of more SKUs than a traditional pharmacy, the Rexall Healthy Living stores emphasize disease management and prevention, providing customers with more than 200 health information touch points; new staff, tools and services; and one of Canada’s widest assortments of skin care and dermatological brands, according to the company.
Key features include Healthy Living Advisors, Derm Consultants, a Health Feature Wall highlighting the most common health states, the Healthy Living Advisor Station, the Rexall Healthy Living Patient Interactive Terminal, and the Derm Centre skin care area, among other innovations.
In the pharmacy area, the Healthy Living stores offer a number of health and wellness programs and services, including Food Smart Hemocode, a blood test that helps identify foods that may be creating digestive or other health issues; Bpro, a blood pressure diagnostic test that goes beyond the normal brachial blood pressure "cuff" test by measuring Central Aortic Systolic Pressure (CASP); and Lung Age, which measures the strength of a patient’s breath against their age and can help diagnose illnesses such as lung disease and emphysema
Healthy Living stores also feature an expanded product assortment with a focus on healthy product options, especially vitamins, nutrition, OTC, natural product and skin care categories.
"We are committed to building the world’s best pharmacy for our patients with the support of our dedicated team," added Giancamilli. "Consumers can expect to see continued growth, state-of-the-art technology, services and offerings at all new and existing Rexall pharmacies as the company heads into the future."
Other Rexall Health Living stores are located in Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Bradford and Milton, Ontario; Calgary, Alberta; and Kelowna, British Columbia.
Overall, Rexall’s store network includes 1,800 corporately owned, franchised and independent pharmacies across Canada.
