ENTERING the final week of Nov, Pharmacy Daily Editor, Nick O'Donoghue (pictured), is continuing to cultivate a moustache to raise funds for the Pharmacists' Support Service (PSS).
In what can only be described as a hair-brained mo-growing competition, O'Donoghue and Australian Journal of Pharmacy Editor, Chris Brooker, have spent the last 23 days nurturing facial fuzz to highlight the work of the PSS, which offers peer-to-peer support the mental health and wellbeing of people working in the pharmacy sector.
Initially launched in Victoria in 1995, the PSS is now available to pharmacists, interns, students and pharmacy staff across the country.
Throughout 2020 the PSS has seen an significant increase in the number of calls to the organisation's hotline (1300 244 910), with pharmacists experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety due to the pressure of managing challenges from bushfires and floods to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking with Pharmacy Daily earlier this year, PSS Executive Officer, Kay Dunkley, welcomed the increase in call numbers.
"People are reaching out to us, which is great and it's what we want," she said.
"We are here to support and help them - we can't wave a magic wand and make everything right for them, but at least we can provide the support, and point them in the right direction if they need specific support."
The PSS is a charity and has been granted deductible gift recipient status by the Australian Taxation Office.
CLICK HERE to make a donation, and leave #MoFoePD in the message box to support O'Donoghue's efforts, or #MoFoeAJP to back Brooker.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 23 Nov 20
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 23 Nov 20
