Legacy Pharmacies new owner of Rocanville Pharmacy
August 12, 2022, 12:06 pm
by Kevin Weedmark
Legacy Pharmacies is the new owner of the pharmacy in Rocanville. The company took over operation of Rocanville’s pharmacy from Super Thrifty August 2. The store is now known as Rocanville Pharmacy and is still part of the Pharmachoice system.
The company also owns pharmacies in Redvers and Kipling in the local area, and in Candle Lake in northern Saskatchewan.
“We own two pharmacies in the area, and I talked to Super Thrifty awhile ago just in regards to possibly partnering,” said Warren Delmage of Legacy Pharmacies.
“At that time we weren’t able to do anything with them, just because we didn’t have enough pharmacists to do everything we need to do. They reached back out to us in January and said they would be willing to sell the store to us. At that time we had another pharmacist lined up already to come work with us at the other stores and thought it would be a good time to take on this location.
“Redvers was our first pharmacy and we took it on on August 6 of 2019. We started with the store in Redvers and then about a year after that Kipling at the end of June in 2020 and then we also built another store that opened at the end of July of 2020 up at Candle Lake. Now this is our fourth store.”
Delmage says he enjoys seeing the business grow.
“I am a pharmacist, I have been one since 2008 when I convocated,” he says. “Brad and Chris and Stefen are my business partners and my wife Rheanne and Brad’s wife, Michelle, we are all pharmacists, we love the profession. I fell in love with the business aspect of pharmacy and growing the business.
“When we worked with our previous employers they treated us very well, we learned a lot from them on how to treat people right and how to run a business. They grew very large and we felt we had lost the personal touch with customers and the staff, so we thought in the early days when we started to grow we wanted to keep that personal touch and take care of our patients a little better and make them as the focus, and it has grown from there. We are partnering with really strong pharmacists that are very passionate about their jobs and very knowledgeable.”
Delmage said customers won’t notice much difference in the operation of the pharmacy in Rocanville.
“They won’t notice a difference day to day,” he said. “We plan on doing some renovations on the store and updating it a little. They will notice a friendly face. Chelsea Ellison is our new pharmacist here. She just started at the end of July, she got her license in the middle of July and she is very knowledgeable and very, very friendly and she will be the day to day person who will be at the store every day giving the service that the town deserves.”
What does Delmage think are the key elements of running a successful small town pharmacy?
“Focusing on the patient, having those relationships, having people that are invested in the community and taking part in all the community aspects,” he says.
“We always found when running our businesses, if you’re involved with the community—really involved, not just giving money to here and there, but actually helping, volunteering your time and helping at events—people want to support you because you’re supporting them in every other aspect of the community. We find that’s very important. Traci was great here in Rocanville, she built a wonderful business and she cared for the community like nobody else could, and she did a great job. She has offered to help us, so she is still going to be around at the store.”
Ellison excited about new career in pharmacy
Chelsea Ellison is the pharmacist at Rocanville Pharmacy, and she is excited about starting her career in Rocanville.
“I am from Vancouver Island,” she says.
“I was born and raised in Mill Bay in British Columbia, between Nanaimo and Victoria. I grew up there and had always wanted to be a pharmacist ever since I was a little girl.
“Right after high school, I applied at U of S because I really wanted to go to pharmacy school in Saskatoon. I did my undergrad at U of S and then got into the Doctor of Pharmacy program in 2018 and just completed my degree this past June. During that four years I was in pharmacy in Saskatoon, I met a guy and he is an electrician. He works with Flyer Electric at the Nutrien potash mine. He has been there for two years this October and he just absolutely loves his work out there.
“When I was anticipating what I was going to do once I finished school I started looking for jobs out here and contacted Legacy Pharmacies and here we are in Rocanville. I have been to the area a few times the past two years since my partner is out here, and we just love the community, it’s great.”
Ellison says she is enjoying her new career.
“I have been in Redvers and Kipling for a few weeks before this and it has been great,” she said. “I am literally living the dream right now. All the people in the community are so great, so welcoming, the physicians are fantastic as well and all the staff we have in the store here, I couldn’t really ask for a better team to work with.”
What does she enjoy about the profession?
“I love pharmacy, but my real passion is retail and community pharmacy,” she says. “I just know how important it is, especially in small towns like this. I am the only pharmacist here and we are really big on access to healthcare here so anytime you need something, I am here and we can help you. I am here five days a week and we are here to help people. What I love about being in retail pharmacy too is being in the community and building relationships with people and getting to know them. I have only been here two days, but eventually I am hoping to know people’s families, their kids, their grandkids, their pets and really getting to know people on a personal level as well as providing them the best possible healthcare.”
What is the most important thing she learned in her education for pharmacy?
“I think my biggest takeaway from moving from a student to a licensed professional is that we have such a big responsibility to our patients, to our community and to ourselves as well to continue to learn more and always improve ourselves so that we can provide the best healthcare that we can for everybody, and that is something I continue to strive for, to keep up to date with everything so that I can really be the best pharmacist I can for Rocanville.”
Ellison said she is loving the area so far.
“I absolutely love it. I love the people. I am driving in from Moosomin right now, and it just makes me feel so happy seeing all the canola. I saw canola for the first time two and a half years ago, so I always think it is beautiful.”
