Pharmacy Corner
RESOURCES FOR PHARMACY

Kory Sloan definitely has a different kind of Pharmacy job.

On a wall near his office, here in the Edmonton Remand Centre, there’s a glass display case, the kind you might find filled with sports ribbons and memorabilia. But this case contains trophies of a different type – homemade shivs and knives confiscated from prisoners, many fashioned from toothbrushes, spoons and hair brush handles.

“The inmates here are extremely creative,” says Kory. “I’ve even heard of guys trying to smuggle this kind of thing into the jail in their rectums, so they can settle a score with another inmate. I guess it’s true – where there’s a will there’s a way.”

No, don’t let Kory Sloan tell you this is just another pharmacy job.

Kory’s position is one-of-a-kind in Alberta, a Pharmacist working full time in a Provincial corrections facility. The Edmonton Remand Centre is a high security correctional facility, a sort of clearing house for people who have been arrested and are awaiting trial, and for those who have been tried and are awaiting sentencing. But the Centre also sees the worst of the worst, including sex offenders and Working with a captive audience murderers. It’s an environment that Kory has gotten used to since his job began in 2007.

“This area of Pharmacy is really brand new, so basically my position was created when I started here,” he says. “The job of operating the Pharmacy used to be done by the nurses, and they did an amazing job, but of course they’re not trained in pharmacology, dispensing or inventory management. Purchasing and inventory management are a huge part of what I do here, and there’s no way the nurses could do it all – not on top of their other responsibilities.”

Adding a Pharmacist to the staff at the Remand Centre has helped create far greater efficiencies. And, Kory adds, it’s also led to some important cost savings.