H1N1 Heroes: Erin MacKenzie - The juggler

Erin MacKenzie might not have a closet full of hats, but she wears at least two. MacKenzie is both executive director of the PEI Pharmacists Association and a full-time community pharmacist in Charlottetown. “It was crazy there for a while,” she said, of her dual roles during the H1N1 crisis.As executive director, MacKenzie consulted with government on its communications plan and made sure pharmacists were eligible for the first round of H1N1 vaccinations. She worked tirelessly to get consistent messaging out to pharmacists, encouraging them to make pandemic plans for their stores and have a reordering process in place for dwindling stocks.Then she put on her other hat and went to work in the pharmacy. “Since the beginning, pharmacists have really been on the frontline," she says. "We’ve been receiving a staggering number of phone inquiries, like, ‘I have this symptom, do I have H1N1?’.Like elsewhere, there was a Tamiflu shortage in P.E.I. The health ministry decided which stores would receive Tamiflu and delivered it in a van to selected stores based on where they were located—for example, near doctors’ offices or in geographically isolated areas. Unfortunately many patients didn’t know where to get Tamiflu and as a result, some infected patients wandered through multiple stores, potentially spreading the virus.Despite the confusion, however, MacKenzie said she was impressed by the level of professionalism pharmacists demonstrated. “Pharmacists have really stepped up to the plate.”MacKenzie said she will request a review of the government’s communications strategy and pandemic plan once things slow down. “There were so many lessons learned here, it’s unbelievable.”

H1N1 Heroes: Erin MacKenzie - The juggler

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