Losing Access to Care: Your Pharmacy is Closing

Abstract

Many folks who have a minor ailment, a question about medicines, or a health concern in general often stop by their local pharmacy to ask the pharmacist for advice. I grew up in a rural area of Southern Illinois that did not have a fulltime physician. The health department clinic was only open on select mornings each week to administer vaccines. The pharmacist was the only healthcare professional that my family could easily see within 30 miles. Regardless of where we live, we've likely taken for granted that there is a pharmacy nearby. Today those pharmacies are often owned by CVS or Walgreens or are situated in a grocery store or big box retailer like Wal-Mart, Costco or Target. Health systems like Loma Linda University Health also own community pharmacies. There are still nearly 22,000 privately owned pharmacies in the U.S.