They want all Montrealers to benefit from the highly specialized in-home pharmaceutical and nursing care that
includes blood pressure monitoring, blood test and foot care…
Egbert Gaye
It’s up to you to decide on which pharmacy and pharmacist best suits your needs for healthcare and personal well being. Were you to choose Jona Destiné and Makinson St-Martin, they will offer you and your family one guarantee: “honesty.”
“That’s a very important word for us pharmacists,” says Destiné. “Because we’re involved in providing healthcare services to our clients. Nothing is more important, so important that they know that every decision we make is an honest one based on what’s best for them and nothing else.”
It’s why she and her husband chose to run their business as an indépendant pharmacy when they decided to go into business a little less than a year ago. In the middle of the big Health and pharmaceutical restructuration led by the Quebec government where the foundation of the system is under reevaluation and the independence of the pharmacists is one of the concerns, they chose to stay at the other side of the coin instead of being a member of one of the big chains that dominate in Quebec and the rest of Canada.
She and her husband met at the Association of the pharmacist of Haiti after their graduation from the School of Medicine and Pharmacy at the prestigious State University of Haiti.
They moved to Canada in 2003 and immediately positioned themselves for the future that they envisioned.
“The first ten years in Quebec were very hectic,” Destiné recalled. “As we started our family, having children, went back to school and keep working.”
In doing so, they now have two children, a ten year-old girl and seven year-old boy.
Destiné and St-Martin completed equivalency requirements for certification as pharmacists in Quebec at the University of Laval; both also completed studies for a Masters in Public Health and Management at University of Montreal. St-Martin has his diploma; Destiné is a project away from hers.
They have also compiled more than 30 years of work experience collectively, which they accumulated working as pharmacists in their country, as pharmacy assistants and pharmacists in various jurisdictions across the province of Quebec, including extended periods of providing service to the Cree nations in the James Bay region. Destiné has been working in both community pharmacies and hospital pharmacies specialized in long-term care.
The way St-Martin puts it; it was part of the plan.
“We made a conscious decision to work in as many different places across the province as possible, because we thought that it was important to be in many different types of communities and serving people with different needs.”
They decided to set up shop in NDG because they have been living there for years and had grown to love the neighborhood and the people in the area.
He added that their decision to open an independent pharmacy proved to be more difficult than expected because they were unable to access any type of financing from banks or elsewhere, so it was up to them to come up with the money.
They did.
And driven by determination, hard work, partnership with local businesses, and the help of several good people in the community, they were able to step over the many hurdles that clutter the way of all new entrepreneurs, especially grateful to all the companies involved in transforming their chosen location with the appropriate walls, lights, shelves and counter space into a functional and well laid-out pharmacy.
The couple says their success so far is due to the village of friends and relatives coming together in prayer and doing whatever they can to get them up and running. Among others who have been invaluable in helping to get their dream off the ground are: L.T. Renovation, Planotech Pharma, Steve & Fils, VBC marketing, and Pennistone Media.
Now just a few months shy of a year since they opened their doors, the couple continues to find ways to stand their ground to offer good pharmaceutical services to the population.
Destiné says one of their biggest challenges is to be recognized as a competent care provider in a marketplace where people have been trained to think of the “big banners” as the place to go.
“It’s really a matter of re-educating them and convincing them of what we do.”
However, both admit that the question of trust lingers [around them] because of their status as “independent.” To which, Destiné assures all potential clients, that the work of every pharmacist in the province is regulated by the Quebec Order of Pharmacists, and they’ve all had the same training. “Independent pharmacies, not part of the big players, can provide the same services as those members of big chains and even more.
With the new generation of licensed pharmacists who focused more on pharmaceutical care, the population will notice that more independent pharmacies will blossom in Quebec and the financial system will have to adjust their product to this new market movement, according to Destiné.
But so far, so good, they say.
In addition to their prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs services, Jona Destiné and St. Martin want all Montrealers to benefit from the highly specialized in-home pharmaceutical and nursing care that include blood pressure monitoring, INR monitoring, blood test and foot care.
At the pharmacy they also participate in several government-driven drug programs, including opioids addiction treatment: Methadone and Suboxone and STBBI prevention kits. They keep their services open to all income groups, including income security beneficiaries, those covered by private and government insurances, Aboriginal, refugees and visitors to Canada.
Address: 6530 Somerled Ave., Montreal, QC H4V 1S8 (514) 303-1471 Fax: (514) 303-1472 Email: info@monpharmacienindependant.caBusiness Hours Mondays – Wednesdays 9am to 6pm; Thursdays – Fridays 9am to 7pm; Saturdays – 10am to 5pm; Sundays – 10:00-11:00 (Appointment only).
What your pharmacist can do for you
Services offered by pharmacists and Quebec passed Bill 41.
Since June 20, 2015, in an effort to improve accessibility to healthcare, pharmacists have been offering more professional
services.
These professional services are:
• Substituting one
medication for another in
the event of a disruption in
supply
• Prescribing lab tests
• Showing patients how to
administer a medication
• Extending a prescription
• Adjusting a prescription
• Prescribing a medication
for the treatment of certain
minor ailments/conditions
when the diagnosis and
treatment are known
• Prescribing a medication
when no diagnosis is
required
The above services are offered to everyone, whether you are covered by the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan or by a private plan.
Fees for certain services
Of the services listed above, pharmacists are allowed to bill you only for:
• Prescribing a medication
for the treatment of certain
minor ailments/conditions
when the diagnosis and
treatment are known
• Prescribing a medication
when no diagnosis is
required
• Adjusting a prescription
• Extending a prescription
They are not allowed to bill you for any other service, regardless of whether you are insured under the public plan or a private plan.
If you are insured by the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan, the pharmaceutical services are reimbursed by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec minus the Deductible
The deductible is a fixed amount that constitutes the first portion of the costs that insured persons must pay when obtaining insured drugs and co-insurance Co-insurance?????
The co-insurance is the percentage (or portion) of the drug costs that insured persons must pay once they have paid the deductible. In other words, when a person’s drug costs exceed the deductible, the person pays only a portion of the remainder. This portion is what is referred to as the co-insurance as applicable.
If you are covered by a private plan, contact your insurer to obtain information regarding the costs paid for these pharmaceutical services.
After having made his or her assessment, your pharmacist may conclude that he or she is unable to extend your prescription or prescribe a medication for you, and will consequently refer you to your attending physician. In such situations, the service must still be paid for.
For additional information on the professional activities of pharmacists, consult the website of the Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec (in French only) .
