Unlocking the Script: The Future of Vaccine Access in Ontario

With over 2.5 million Ontarians currently without a family doctor, the pharmacy is no longer just a place to pick up prescriptions—it is where health care must start. Yet, a significant regulatory bottleneck remains: while Ontario pharmacists can now administer a wider range of vaccines, they often lack the authority to prescribe them, forcing patients back into a strained primary care system for a simple signature.

How can we modernize our primary care system to ensure every Ontarian has equitable, "one-stop" access to life-saving immunizations? What does "unlocking the script" actually mean for patients in rural communities or those navigating private insurance?

 

In this episode of From the Burgundy Chairs, Santis Health Senior Vice President, National Practice Lead, Management Consulting  and former Physician Dr. Brendan Carr explores the strategic shift needed to position the local pharmacist as a vital clinical partner.

 

Dr. Carr is joined by a panel of experts leading this charge including: Angeline Ng, VP of Professional Affairs at the Ontario Pharmacists Association (OPA); Dr. Paul Jones of Arthur Family Practice and Arthur Travel Health; and Antonella Pucci, Manager of Immunization Initiatives at the Canadian Public Health Association.

Together, they discuss reframing prescriptive authority as a tool to reduce the burden on physicians and close the immunization gaps—such as Ontario’s stalled HPV vaccination rates—that leave too many Canadians behind.