Expanding Access Beyond the Counter: The Role of Pharmacists in Community Outreach

Pharmacists play a critical role in community outreach by expanding access to vaccinations and preventive care outside traditional pharmacy settings, according to Rimple Gabri, PharmD, outreach clinical pharmacist at Giant Pharmacy. She explains how outreach programs help break down barriers for individuals who may lack time, transportation, or access to health care services. Gabri highlights how these initiatives are personally rewarding and reinforce the trust communities place in pharmacists. She also describes additional services offered by Giant Pharmacy, including health screenings, cancer screenings, and CPR classes, all aimed at improving community health outcomes.

Pharmacy Times: Please state your name and title.

Rimple Gabri, PharmD: My name is Rimple Gabri. I'm the Outreach Clinical Pharmacist with Giant Pharmacy.

Pharmacy Times: Why are pharmacists within the setting of community outreach programs such as immunization clinics so important within the community?

Gabri: Community outreach programs such as vaccination services play such a significant role in our community. When pharmacists are able to step outside behind the pharmacy counters and step into the community realm, we're giving a very clear message on why we're there. We're there for education and preventative care. Vaccinations do just that, and we're out there in the community to break down barriers.

For example, people that do not have access to vaccination services or do not have time to be able to get their vaccinations. We're there to take care of each and every community member. We're there at schools, daycare centers, nursing homes, business organizations, small businesses, large businesses, temples, and churches. Again, to make sure that we send that clear message on why vaccinations are so important and why everybody needs to be able to have easy access to them. Breaking down barriers and being out there in the community taking care of people's lives is probably one of the most significant reasons why community outreach plays such an important role.

Pharmacy Times: What does the outreach program mean for you personally, and how does it motivate you to further this cause?

Gabri: The Community Outreach Program has been such a rewarding experience for me as a pharmacist and as a healthcare professional. Being able to be there for people's everyday needs, such as giving them vaccinations or providing them education on why vaccinations are important or what types of vaccinations they need.

For example, we're out there in the community doing flu, COVID, RSV, pneumonia, and tetanus. We're there again to tell people which vaccines they're missing. If you're at a nursing home, we're taking care of people at their bedsides. If we are there at an apartment building or a senior resident building, people come up to me and say, “We would not be able to get our vaccinations if you were not here today, because it's so much easier for us to come outside of our apartment building and be able to get these vaccinations.”

Pharmacists are one of the most trusted professions, and for us to be out there in the community, we're letting people know why they can trust us and count on us. We're there to provide their basic needs and important needs to take care of themselves and be well.

Pharmacy Times: What other outreach services does Giant Pharmacy offer along with immunization clinics?

Gabri: Giant Pharmacy is such a visionary. They can foresee how community needs are changing and how we need to adapt, and pharmacists are able to do just that. We're not only doing vaccination services, but we're out there in the field doing cancer screenings, again a very important guiding tool to let somebody know if they're at risk for any cancer so they can further get that taken care of.

We're also doing health screenings. It's a guiding tool to find out if somebody may have high blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood glucose. Health screenings provide care as well as education. For example, if somebody has a high marker for blood glucose or blood cholesterol or experiences high blood pressure in that moment, it's a great indicator that they may need to seek further care.

The fact that we're doing all of this in the community, whether there are CPR classes, health screenings, or vaccination services, again shows preventative care in taking care of someone. Tragedies happen every day, and people lose their lives, but for somebody to be able to perform CPR and save a life, and for pharmacists to be out there in the community teaching CPR classes, is a rewarding and impactful experience.

Health screenings, cancer screenings, and vaccination services do just that. The fact that we're there in the community taking care of people and making sure that they leave us with a better outcome and lead a better life is nothing more rewarding than being there for the community. Thank you so much.