Some places are more than a business — they’re part of a community’s confidence. In Riverview, the Jean Coutu pharmacy on Coverdale Road is one of those places. At the heart of it is David Ford, a third-generation pharmacist whose family has been serving local families for more than six decades.
A Legacy of Care at Jean Coutu with David Ford
David Ford graduated in 1991 and returned to New Brunswick after studying pharmacy at the University of Alberta. He didn’t just step into a job — he stepped into a legacy. His family opened Riverview’s first pharmacy in 1962, and today David carries that tradition forward as owner and pharmacist at Jean Coutu in Riverview.
“I watched my dad and my uncle help people every day,” David shared. “I saw how much they enjoyed it. I thought, why not try it too?”
What started as a family path became a calling. Over time, David discovered that his true passion was not hospital pharmacy, but community care — meeting people where they are and walking with them through life’s health journeys.
More Than a Pharmacy
For David, the most rewarding part of his work is the long arc of community relationships.
“You see four or five generations of the same family. You’ve been their pharmacist through the good times and the challenging times. You’re part of their story — and that’s incredibly rewarding.” INTERVIEW DAVID FORD JEAN COUTU Dec 2025,
Over the last 40 years, pharmacy has changed dramatically — and David has helped lead that change locally. Today, his team:
Prescribes for minor ailments
Supports patients without family doctors
Operates a pharmacy care clinic
Provides strep testing and chronic care support
Jean Coutu Riverview was also a pilot site for southern New Brunswick, helping shape modern community pharmacy services now used across the province.
At the end of our interview we do rapid fire answers to our questions. We asked David; ‘Best thing about Riverview’ without hesitation his response “the people”.
A National Ripple from Riverview
What many don’t realize is that two national healthcare innovations began right here:
Canada’s First Community Infusion Clinic (2001)
David helped launch the first private community infusion clinic in Canada, which later became a national network with 115 locations across Canada.
BioScript Solutions
Out of that same need, David and his partners launched BioScript, Canada’s first national specialty pharmacy — now serving patients coast to coast.
A Conversation with David Ford
INTERVIEW DAVID FORD JEAN COUTU by Chuck Bates
On what people don’t see: “We’re always training. New medications, new guidelines, new systems. And behind that, we’re running a full business — staffing, compliance, patient care, and community outreach.”
On empathy in healthcare: “If you don’t care about people, you shouldn’t be in healthcare. Empathy is everything.”
On Riverview: “Great people.”
On his journey in one word:Rewarding
The Human Side
Outside the pharmacy, David is:
A quiet community builder who believes healthcare should feel human, accessible, and kind
A master swimmer
A passionate gardener (he maintains the planters at Bricks Café and El Rio)
This is follow up about staff or owner or organization
Sources & Community References
This feature was compiled by: Interview Dec 2025, by Chuck Bates, also publicly available community and business sources, including BioScript Solutions’ “Who We Are” page, the national Best Managed Companies announcement for BioScript.
