Aetna drops Walgreens from its Medicaid plan, making it harder for low-income Chicagoans to get their prescriptions during the pandemic

Chicago Tribune, December 30, 2020. A patient had a severe mental illness, but with monthly injections of medication, he stopped hearing voices and was able to live in subsidized housing, according to Dr. Thomas Huggett, of the Lawndale Christian Health Center. Then came the Aetna insurance company’s decision to drop Walgreens from the patient’s Medicaid…Continue Reading Aetna drops Walgreens from its Medicaid plan, making it harder for low-income Chicagoans to get their prescriptions during the pandemic

In Communities Deserted By Pharmacies, Advocates Fear Inequitable COVID-19 Vaccine Access

CNN, December 24, 2020. Chicago (CNN)Rochelle Sykes worries that her west side Chicago neighborhood will be left out when the Covid-19 vaccine becomes widely available next year. “It’s a national phenomenon,” said Dima Qato, the lead author of the study of Chicago drug stores and an associate professor at the University of Southern California School…Continue Reading In Communities Deserted By Pharmacies, Advocates Fear Inequitable COVID-19 Vaccine Access

‘Pharmacy desert’ concerns arise on south, west sides of Chicago

Fox 32 Chicago, December 23, 2020. CHICAGO – Health experts are calling on Illinois to make some changes after the state’s contracted Medicare prescription provider dropped Walgreens. The state says the south and west sides of Chicago have pharmacies in reach, but health experts on the front lines say the issue is access and it…Continue Reading ‘Pharmacy desert’ concerns arise on south, west sides of Chicago

Medication Data and the Next Generation of Dried Blood Assessment in NSHAP

The Gerontology Society of America, December 14, 2020. This webinar focuses on the medication data, dried blood spot assays, and social network survey responses in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a longitudinal study that contributes to finding new ways to improve health as people age. Studies regarding polypharmacy and the social (and…Continue Reading Medication Data and the Next Generation of Dried Blood Assessment in NSHAP