Pharmacy closures impact minority communities most

At the start of May, we informed that in 2024 this may very well be the yr the pharmacy closes, as Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens were expected to shut greater than 1,500 pharmacies over the following two years. C

Additionally, they reported that local pharmacies are also closing, and when these two things mix, patients will find yourself in a pharmacy desert.

According to the Boston University newspaper, closing a pharmacy just isn’t like closing a ironmongery shop or department store existing unequal health outcomes are even worse. When Walgreens decided to shut 4 of its pharmacies situated primarily in Black and Brown neighborhoods in 2022, politicians like Sen. Ed Marley (D-Mass.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Republican Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) ) took notice of this and called on the corporate to exchange its stores, citing the creation of food apartheid zones and pharmacy deserts.

“These closures come as part of a broader legacy of historic racial and economic discrimination that has created significant pharmaceutical and food deserts and a lack of access to transportation in these neighborhoods,” Politicians Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth noted within the letter.

The closure of major retail pharmacy chains means a disruption within the health care chain, experts say, because pharmacies often facilitate every part from vaccinations to over-the-counter drugs to baby formula.

Cole Brahim, an associate professor of health law, policy and management and coordinator of the Medicaid Policy Lab at Boston University, said capitalism is the reason for the shutdown.

“Often, an entire retail store – Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid – closes its doors due to financial problems that are, in part, the result of increased competition. If a store or pharmacy does not generate enough revenue to cover costs, or if the store could perform better elsewhere, it closes. This is especially true for retail stores in low-income neighborhoods because customers have less money to spend and margins at these stores may be less favorable.”

Brahim continued: “Income shortages and workforce constraints are leading to a limited variety of pharmacies moving from lower-income neighborhoods to higher-income neighborhoods, which in turn further exacerbates already existing health inequalities. The effects of closing pharmacies in low-income neighborhoods are each immediate and long-lasting. The lack of a pharmacy – which often is the only pharmacy nearby – means an absence of access to key medications, which in turn can mean more patients with uncontrolled chronic diseases, an extended course of disease, and sometimes serious or life-threatening complications.

Residents of predominately black and Latino neighborhoods, in response to reports less access to pharmacies than people living in majority white neighborhoods. As Healthcare Brew reports, tightening the closure of independent pharmacies is a brand new rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that has caused lower returns for pharmacies than they received prior to now from government programs.

The National Pharmacists Association (NCPA), a bunch representing the interests of greater than 19,000 pharmacies across the country, raised the alarm on this issue in February and called on the Biden administration and Congress to take motion.

“Nearly one-third of independent pharmacy owners may close their stores this year under pressure from falling prescription drug reimbursements from large insurance plans and pharmacy benefit managers,” said NCPA CEO and pharmacist B. Douglas Hoey.

“This is an emergency. And if Congress fails to act again, within months, thousands of local pharmacies could close and millions of patients could be left without a pharmacy.”

“If one-third of all community pharmacies close and more than 90 percent stop accepting Medicare Part D, it will be a disaster for seniors, hardship for most remaining patients and a devastating blow to the entire health care system,” he said. Hi. “This requires immediate action by Congress and the administration.”

In 2023 A research conducted by scientists from the University of Houston documented the impact these closures had on underserved areas. The study’s lead writer, Dr. Omolola Adepoju, clinical associate professor and director of research on the Humana Institute for Integrated Health Sciences, told the University of Houston: “Pharmacies have at all times been the first access point to health look after families in medically underserved areas, but this can pass. In these areas, that are primarily minority communities facing significant socioeconomic challenges, this exacerbates existing health care disparities.”

Adepoju continued: “We must address this issue, taking into account not only the economic impact of closures, but also the wider health impacts of affected communities. Our research provides key insights that can inform policy decisions and improve equitable access to health care.”

Adebosola Karunwi, a third-year medical student on the University of Houston and co-author of the study, echoed Adepoju’s concerns and stated that access to medicines is a critical health care need.

“This extra distance could have serious consequences. A diabetic who needs to take a long walk or multiple bus trips to fill an insulin prescription may not do so and instead skip doses or blood tests. We are already seeing hospitals using services like UberHealth to deliver medications and get patients to appointments,” Karunwi said. “But more needs to be done. In this day and age, there is no reason why anyone should not have access to the health care they deserve.”