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Alex Hosein (pronouns: they/them) became the Bloom Program Coordinator with Nova Scotia Health in December 2022. Within their role, Hosein provides support within health promotion for mental health and addiction services, collaborating with community pharmacy team members, other clinical providers, and community organizations throughout the province.
The Bloom Program is a community pharmacy initiative that aims to increase and improve mental health and addiction care for Nova Scotians.
The patients involved can access supports in managing medication-related issues, as well as access to information about community mental health and addiction resources. There is no cost to the patient, who will receive one-on-one care and patient advocacy, and there is no waitlist for enrollment.
While not all community pharmacies participate in the Bloom Program, they all are well situated to provide education and information to people living with mental illness and substance use disorders. Bloom supports pharmacists in offering enhanced services in areas such as medication optimization, education, and supporting patients who are navigating the health system.
Hosein offers support to pharmacists, provides information and feedback regarding the program and runs quality assurance processes to ensure positive outcomes for everyone involved. “This could involve a mix of travel to different pharmacies, setting up new programs, troubleshooting processes, and conducting pharmacy and program audits,” they explained.
“Collaboration with the broader mental health and addictions program is also a part of the role, including participation in various communities of practice, brainstorming sessions, and implementing evolving models of care to improve patient outcomes,” they added.
Hosein highlighted that their passions surround community care, education, collaboration, sustainability and envisioning and creating inclusive and just futures.
As program coordinator, Hosein said they work with an incredible team, both within health promotion at Mental Health and Addictions, as well as with community pharmacy team members, providers and community organizations throughout Nova Scotia. “The best part of this role is the partnership, support and problem-solving opportunities that Bloom provides,” explained Hosein.
With the increase of pharmacy enrollment from 47 pharmacies in December 2022 to 68 as of November 2023, Hosein noted that there has been a significant increase in community pharmacy involvement, partly due to the community pharmacy primary health clinics that begin in January 2023.
“With more pharmacies becoming involved, more community members will become aware of the program and the care it provides,” said Hosein. “This will lead to increased awareness of services available to individuals across the province.”
For more information about the program, or where to find your participating community pharmacy, please visit the Bloom website.