Connor Briggs has been a staff pharmacist at the Front Street Shoppers Drug Mart since moving to Orillia last May from his hometown in Nova Scotia.
When an opportunity came up for Briggs to work in Orillia, it was an opportunity he simply couldn’t pass up.
“When I was working in a small town in Nova Scotia, one of my co-workers was from Orillia, so I heard a lot about the city and how much he loved growing up here. So when I saw an opportunity for a job I jumped on it,” Briggs said.
Briggs’ daily routine as a staff pharmacist has dramatically changed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit our community. And it continues to change, seemingly every day, as new policies and procedures are put in place.
“Everything is quite a bit different. Our staff are working really hard to get everybody through this tough time,” Briggs said.
One of the biggest challenges for Briggs and the staff is helping community members with their health concerns while they are unable to reach their family doctors in the way that they normally would.
“It’s bringing new and different challenges for us, but it’s definitely shown me how much we can go further than we normally do to help other people,” Briggs said.
The pandemic has created a lot of separation and isolation around the globe. However, at the Front Street Shoppers Drug Mart, the pandemic brought the pharmacy team closer together.
“I have so much respect and appreciation for the amazing team that I work with. It’s really been a team approach and getting through this on your own would be really difficult,” Briggs explained.
During these trying times, living away from his family and friends back home could be scary and lonely for Briggs, but he says the community has stepped up to help fill that void.
“People will call in to get their prescription and they will also mention that they are so thankful for what we are doing and will ask how we are doing and having some person you don’t even know from the community taking that time our of their day to do that shows the amazing community that Orillia has and I’m definitely fortunate to be here,” Briggs said.
Briggs also has the support of his partner at home, but the fear of being exposed to the virus while working at the pharmacy and potentially bringing it home to his partner is always in the back of his mind.
“It’s definitely a concern. Every time you leave the house to go to work, you're putting yourself at risk and could be exposed. It’s definitely a scary thought,” he said
However, Briggs ultimately does feel protected by his employer at Shoppers Drug Mart as they have been supplied with personal protective equipment and they’ve installed barriers in between staff and customers.
One of the biggest changes for customers at local pharmacies is the Ministry of Health's temporary measure of limiting customers to a 30-day supply for some medications, leaving customers paying the dispensing fee multiple times
“It’s because during this unprecedented time, we want to make sure the supply chain will stay available and people and will have access to their medications they need every day,” Briggs explained.
“It’s definitely a controversial topic and it’s put more work on the pharmacy by effectively tripling our workload," Briggs lamented. "It’s put even more stress on the patients during an already stressful time where people are struggling financially, but it has allowed us to keep the majority of our stock on medications.”
Briggs says he has stayed relatively positive during the entire duration of the pandemic, but admits some days are tougher than others.
“It’s easy to fall into a rut and let the stress and the forever-changing of things overwhelm you. But having the amazing support I’ve had at work, at home, and in the community has definitely made it quite a bit easier to carry a positive outlook,” he said.
