Carleton Place Pharmacy at the new regional health hub opened in October 2025. The services provided include minor ailment prescribing, injection services, compliance packing and seamless transfers. Shown here are pharmacy assistant Cece Daigle, left, and pharmacist co-owner Alex Rusalovsky.

“Being in the same building as doctors provides convenience and personalized care,” pharmacist co-owner Alex Rusalovsky said.

In a major boost to health-care accessibility in the area, Carleton Place Pharmacyopened its doors in October at the Carleton Place Regional Health Hub, promising personalized service and a wide range of health products.

Located in Suite 103 at 22 Costello Dr., Carleton Place Pharmacy is independent and affiliated with Pharmacy Brands Canada.

Ottawa Valley Family Health Team

The Carleton Place clinic of the Ottawa Valley Family Health Team opened in the same building just prior to the pharmacy opening. It encompasses all 15 family physicians from the Carleton Place Family Health Organization and the Beckwith Family Health Organization.

“The doctors opened, and we wanted to make sure they immediately had access to a pharmacy for themselves and for the patients in the community as well,” pharmacist co-owner Alex Rusalovsky told Inside Ottawa Valley. “And with a large variety of medical and health services under one roof, it creates a unique opportunity for collaborative care.

“There are five owners of Carleton Place Pharmacy — three pharmacists and two non-pharmacists in the background,” he said. “I was the chosen one to be here 99 per cent of the time, so I am the face and daily pharmacist.”

The other two pharmacists are Zach Allen and Todd Richardson. They help, but have full-time pharmacist jobs as well.

Working alongside Rusalovsky is pharmacy assistant Cece Daigle, a Carleton Place resident. “She is our wonderful local gal,” he stated. “She knows everything going on in town.”

Alongside a retail space with a selection of over-the-counter medications, health-care items and additional products, the pharmacy offers services such as compliance packaging, easy prescription transfers, injection services and minor ailments prescribing.

Minor ailment prescribing

Pharmacists in Ontario can treat 19 minor ailments:..

Read The Full article at Inside Ottawa Valley.com

The mayor’s task force on medical recruitment called out this health-care hub in Carleton Place as a model Cornwall should replicate. We visited to learn more about it.

For thousands of people in Cornwall and Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, access to a primary care physician, or family doctor, remains elusive.

The situation matches a similar narrative told throughout Ontario. According to the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), at the end of 2025, there are 2.5 million Ontario residents without a family doctor.

The OMA has also predicted that number will soon double. Over half of the province’s physicians are nearing the age of retirement, and only 42 per cent of medical students are considering a career in family medicine.

Cornwall’s situation is worse than the provincial average. With an estimated 21,000 residents without access to a family care provider, almost half the city is left to rely on walk-in clinics, emergency room visits, or skip care for as long as possible.

Ontario’s municipalities really aren’t built to solve Ontario’s crisis in primary care. Many have stepped up their efforts since the COVID-19 pandemic, to serve their communities as best they can.

“I had a hard time spending taxpayer dollars directly to attract (doctors) to come.”

CARLETON PLACE MAYOR TOBY RANDELL

Solving the problem at the local level has put municipalities in competition with each other, while medical recruitment programming puts further strain on municipal coffers.

Read The Full Article at Cornwall Standard-Freeholder

In a landmark moment for community health care, the Ottawa Valley Family Health Team and the Carleton Place/Beckwith Physician Group, joined by local dignitaries and guests, celebrated the official opening of the Carleton Place Clinic Friday.

The expansion of the health team into Carleton Place brings together 15 doctors, one nurse practitioner, and 27 staff members. The team delivers primary care based on collaboration to some 17,000 registered patients, providing access to both their primary care provider and a range of health-care professionals.

Located at 22 Costello Dr., the clinic occupies the 14,500-square-foot second floor of the newly constructed Carleton Place Regional Health Hub, developed by M+H Properties Group.

The team began seeing patients in October 2025, averaging 3,600 visits per month.

The clinic operates during the following hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Patients requiring assistance outside these hours are recommended to visit the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital.

To request an appointment, call 613-257-7002. Phones are answered Monday to Thursday between 9 and 11:45 a.m. and from 1 to 3:45 p.m. Appointments can also be scheduled online.

The expansion is allocated $1.2 million annually from the province. A cumulative total of $1.7 million in funding is coming from Carleton Place and Beckwith over a 10-year period.

To read the complete article at the Carleton Place Almonte Canadian Gazette