Robert Michon | Communications Specialist , ARTA

Since 1995 , when ARTA first began offering its Retiree Benefits Plan , our understanding of how we manage our health has changed and expanded . The plan has kept pace with these evolutions in understanding : every new addition to the plan has been a response to the changing needs of ARTA members and has focused on better serving the health needs of retirees . Now , ARTA is taking another step forward in member well-being . Later this year , ARTA will be opening its own member-focused pharmacy , called ARTARx .

“ We ’ re so excited to be able to announce our pharmacy initiative ,” says Daniel Mulloy , CEO of ARTA . “ ARTARx is the first pharmacy of its kind in Canada . It ’ s a plan-sponsored pharmacy that focuses on the prescription needs of our members , and it places their wellbeing as its top priority .”

The business model for ARTARx has been specifically developed to meet the standards and health needs of ARTA members . What ’ s more , members won ’ t have to worry about the pharmacy increasing their premiums . Every dollar made by ARTARx gets funnelled back into the ARTA Retiree Benefits Plan , and the pharmacy will help keep premiums affordable for years to come .

To help build and run the pharmacy , ARTA has hired a Director of Pharmacy Services , Yatin Patel . Under his guidance , the pharmacy has been taking shape over the last several months , and it will be open for all members to visit before the end of the year , whether in person or through its online , virtual component .

An online component ? Yes , you read that right . ARTARx can be accessed by members who reside anywhere in Alberta , and that ’ s not the only improvement that members can look forward to . At every stage of development ,

ARTA has found ways to expand the traditional pharmacy experience to better meet the needs of its members .

news & views AUTUMN 2021 | 23