Carleton Place Pharmacy Showed Me How Healthcare Actually Works in Ontario

After more than 900 articles across travel, life abroad, and healthcare systems, I didn’t expect my first article about being back in Canada to be about a pharmacy.

But here we are.

Because when you return to Canada after decades overseas—chronically ill, without a care team, and starting from scratch—you don’t experience the system the way it’s described.

I’m fully in the gaps of the system right now. I’ve been here before. You can listen to what that sounds like here on Taiwan Talk ICRT Radio: Fallen through the healthcare cracks: Carrie Kellenberger

Today’s post is about Carleton Place Pharmacy and how your friendly neighborhood pharmacist can be your best ally.

In my case, out of 12 different healthcare professionals that I’m trying to pull together into some kind of safety net and still being 6 months from specialist care, it’s my local pharmacist who has proved to be most helpful and my biggest ally.

Whether Pharmacist Alex meant to or not, he has demonstrated how healthcare in Canada actually works.

And for a chronically ill and complex patient advocate like me, the info Alex has provided has been gold.

As always, I hope my in depth articles on foreign healthcare systems and how to navigate them help you on your own health journey, dear readers.

Let’s dive in…

I left Taiwan after more than 23 years in Asia. Basically, I’ve had to relearn things in my 50s that I never thought I’d be doing here.

In Taiwan, healthcare was immediate, integrated, and responsive. It wasn’t perfect, but it saved me over and over again.

Taiwan doctors honed in on my axSpA diagnosis when the rest of the medical world was convinced it was only a man’s disease. This site has helped to disprove that myth since 2009 when I first started writing about it.

My Taiwan rheumatologist took excellent care of me. I saw him once a month and I was informed of every step WE took together. Having a solid understanding of Taiwan’s healthcare system came from being in it every single month for 17 years. You have not known chaos until you’re sick and disabled in a foreign country and trying to navigate it in a second language.

My Taiwan rheumy between 2022 and 2025 moved mountains for me. He petitioned for med coverage for me and I won an unheard of petition for assistance on December 10, 2022.

He then petitioned for disability assistance for me after I helped to change the law in Taiwan for foreign permanent residents of Taiwan.

Dr. Lan secured disability care for me within 25 days and my disability certification arrived on April 24, 2025.

Finally I was fully in the system and had hope.

You can see a specialist within one to two weeks in Taiwan. Often this happens faster than you expect.

Your NHI card syncs all your info and leaves no questions unanswered. Tests and follow-ups happened quickly. Medications are dispensed immediately.

I saw my specialist at my hospital. Then I’d pay my medical bill and pick up my prescriptions immediately.
My prescription bags were clearly labeled with helpful icons for when to take my meds along with instructions.

I moved forward fairly seamlessly and this is why I was able to keep doing my never-ending appointments mostly on my own for so long.

Meanwhile, back in Canada…

• 8 to 12 month wait times for specialists
• Dozens of healthcare people calling with no introductions or information
• Long delays at every step of the process
• Fragmented communication between providers
• A system that assumes you already have support in place

Let me be clear, my friends. I’m an organized person who knows the ins and outs of complex healthcare systems.

This site has documented how to navigate foreign healthcare systems and provides free downloads and Q&A scripts for patients so they can navigate their own appointments for close to two decades.

Never in my life have I seen such a shattered and slow moving system as the healthcare system here in Canada.

My Unexpected Ally – Carleton Place Pharmacy

In the middle of my rude reality and completely unplanned arrival in Carleton Place at the end of December 2025, I found something and someone that actually helps.

At Carleton Place Pharmacy, I met Alex, a pharmacist who has become, quite literally, my most consistent point of care right now.

Alex Rusalovsky is co-owner and primary daily pharmacist at Carleton Place Pharmacy, which is located at 22 Costello Dr. in the Carleton Place Regional Health Hub. It works in direct collaboration with the Ottawa Valley Family Health Team, providing on-site health services and prescriptions for patients at the health hub.

While everything else in my life is taking weeks and months, Alex operates in real time.

To date, Alex has:

• Tracked down medications I couldn’t access
• Helped reduce the cost of ongoing prescriptions
• Relayed information to my doctor to speed up responses
• Bridged medication name differences between Taiwan and Canada
• And most importantly—he has listened

That last one matters more than people think.

When you’re managing complex health issues, being heard is part of your care.

What surprised me most is how much this one pharmacy reflects what I relied on in Taiwan.

At Carleton Place Pharmacy

• Your doctor issues your prescription
• You go downstairs
• It’s ready in minutes

It’s simple, efficient, and most of all, it’s human.

And right now, it’s one of the only parts of the Canadian system that feels that way.

Healthcare isn’t just about access. It’s also about timing.

In Taiwan, my doctors and I were forced to adjust my treatments quickly for my D2T inflammatory arthritis. I responded to symptoms early and notified them. That is how I prevented my health from escalating to the best of my ability.

In Canada, I’ve waited four months with no information so far. I’ve spent hours on the phone with people across Lanark Valley trying to track down care in rheumatology, cardiology, and hematology. And yes, trauma informed care. I’m deeply traumatized by what happened to me in Taiwan and how I had to leave.

I’ve waited an unbearable amount of time with no idea when specialist care might begin.

I have been told September or October, but my Taiwan rheum has just sent my 2022-2025 medical records through. We are hoping that speeds my appointments up and gets me out of the bottleneck I’m sitting in right now.

My diseases are progressing. Meanwhile I’m managing my symptoms and trying to put out fires in every aspect of my life.

An 8 to 12 month wait is not neutral. It changes outcomes and it can cause real harm.

Why Pharmacists Matter More Than Ever

This is where pharmacists step in. Pharmacists are often the only healthcare professionals you can access without delay. Alex is literally the only person supporting me consistently right now.

And that is why I’m writing this article today. It also lends some much needed support to a newly established small town business. This platform has millions of readers and it’s my pleasure to highlight a small town business and the good they are doing for their community.

What most people don’t see is how much pharmacists actually do.

They catch medication interactions and clarify prescriptions with doctors.

Pharmacists can find alternatives when something isn’t available.

They can help you navigate cost barriers. Pharmacists can also act as a communication bridge in a fragmented system

They don’t just dispense medication.

They help patients hold the line during crisis.

CP Pharmacy – A Place Worth Knowing About

Carleton Place is the kind of town people pass through without realizing what’s here.

But places like Carleton Place Pharmacy matter.

Not because they’re busy or because they’re widely known. In fact, I have confirmed with Todd that they aren’t super busy yet.

People don’t seem to understand what kind of services Carleton Place Pharmacy can help you with. That’s why I’m hoping this article helps them. The pharmacists at CP Pharmacists are responsive, accessible, and most of all, human. After Todd and Alex told me what they can help with, my mom was so impressed, she switched over to them on the spot last week. All it took was a 5 minutes of her time and a simple form to complete and she can now pick up her prescriptions on her way out of her appointments.

As for me, I can’t tell you how it feels to have someone call and it’s actually a human on the other end of the phone that I know. AND THEY’RE SPEAKING IN ENGLISH!

And right now, that matters more than anything. They feel like part of my team and I know they are advocating with me and for me.

After years of writing about healthcare systems around the world, I didn’t expect my first Canadian story to be about a pharmacy.

In Taiwan, I had specialist care within weeks. While my wait times are measured in months in Canada.

There is a space between these two worlds and that is what My Several Worlds reflects.

Here in Carleton Place, it’s one pharmacy that is doing its job exceptionally well. Alex and Todd are your biggest allies. They’ll take the time to get to know you. And that makes all the difference in the world when everything else is out of reach.

Chronically yours,
微笑天使

Carleton Place Pharmacy Services

Did you know?

Each client receives a complimentary medication review with Alex. He’ll sit down with you and review your meds, supplements, allergies, and even your diet. This service is important for patients because it not only helps patients who might not know much about their meds, but it also helps them build a patient profile. Guess who that helps? Yup. Your doctor.

Did you know?

Carleton Place Pharmacists can help with new prescriptions. They can help you refill prescriptions. You can also get a prescription transfer. (Shoppers Drug Mart might not know who you are, but I guarantee Alex and Todd will!) And they can assist with prescription renewal.

Did you know?

CP Pharmacists can help you with minor ailments and conditions that include digestive conditions, nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, pinworms and threadworms, hemorrhoids, heartburn, ENT issues, cold and canker sores, allergies, oral thrush, pink eye and other eye allergies, skin conditions, insect bites and hives, skin irritations and infections, tick bites and lyme disease prevention, diaper rash, cramps, yeast infections, UTIs, muscle sprains and strains, vaccines and injections (including travel vaccines) and more.

Carleton Place Pharmacy

22 Costello Dr Carleton Place, ON K7C 0C3 

• 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
• 613-253-0456
• (343) 763-2986
• carletonplacepharmacy@gmail.com