Six Nations Elected Council (SNEC) have began discussions on a proposed satellite pharmacy coming to the community.

Council says more work and consultation with the community is needed but it will still look to consider the proposal further from Pharmasave Avalon, a pharmacy located in Caledonia, Ontario.

A satellite pharmacy varies from a regular pharmacy in that it is located directly within a hospital or medical center.

Pharmasave Avalon made the presentation to SNEC during Tuesday's council meeting and is proposing that the a 300 square foot pharmacy be established within the White Pines Wellness Centre located in the Village of Ohsweken.

Manali Shah, owner of Pharmasave Avalon, said the proposed satellite pharmacy would benefit the community by offering medial treatment and services in a more timely manner.

"We've been into the White Pines building, we spoke to a lot of different health care professionals over there and what we have noticed is that many times patients are coming in but they're not getting their medications in a timely manner," he said.

"That would be a really great help for the community's health as well. It's like a one stop shop, so if they need anything at the same time at the same specific moment as a small satellite pharmacy we would be able to provide that," he added.

The proposed pharmacy could help provide services to the Six Nations community like flu shots, COVID-19 vaccinations and testing, RSV vaccinations, and diabetes testing and treatment, Shah says.

SNEC questioned if the Pharmasave Avalon team has had contact with the local pharmacy within the Gane Yohs Health Centre on possibly collaborating services. Shah says they team has tried to make contact but have not been successful in doing so at this time. He assured that the services being provided from the satellite pharmacy would be different that those provided at the Gane Yohs Health Centre.

"They're more of a dispensing pharmacy and we are a clinical pharmacy. So a dispensing pharmacy is dispensing medications," he said.

"A clinical pharmacy is more working collaboratively with the physicians to provide the health care needs of the patients. So it's like a hospital pharmacy, they work in the hospital and work collaboratively with the doctor."

Six Nations Chief Mark Hill says that the pharmacy located in the Gane Yohs Health Centre does not hold exclusive operating rights on Six Nations and that council should focus on whether this proposal can be a chance to provide better access to healthcare within the community.

"I don't believe Pharmasave has full exclusivity on the reserve, I  think this is not about business, it's about the demand itself and how we can better serve our entire community," he said.

"At the end of the day, we need to worry less about the business side of it and more worry about how we're taking care of our patients."

Coun. Audrey Powless-Bomberry says she would like to see more work done before a final decision is made.

"I think that council has to do its due diligence," she said.

"Space is optimum here, we need more space. Right now people are working from home when they should be working in an office here that they had but we've grown so quickly in our staff."

SNEC accepted the presentation from Pharmasave Avalon as information and Chief Mark Hill says SNEC CEO Nathan Wright will continue communication with the Avalon team to move forward on this proposal and see what the next steps may be.

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