Health Care Council of Chicago, September 24, 2021.
On September 24, the Health Care Council of Chicago (HC3) hosted a discussion to address challenges to medication compliance, address barriers to medication access, and examine the solutions and opportunities there are to address these inequities through innovation and policy-reform.
Event Recap
Panelist Introductions
Dima M. Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD – Pharmacy deserts in Chicago
Much of my research focuses on addressing disparities and access to medications. What we have found is that Black and Hispanic minorities are less likely to adhere to medication regiments. Pharmacy deserts are most common in Black neighborhoods in Chicago, and to a lesser extent in Latinx neighborhoods, but overall, there is less access than predominantly white neighborhoods. In 2020, 45 percent of Black neighborhoods in Chicago were pharmacy deserts, compared to 1 percent of white and 14 percent of Latinx neighborhoods. Chicago has some of the worst disparities in the entire nation around pharmacy access. Many of the pharmacies that are available in Black neighborhoods are not contracted with the state and will not get reimbursement through Medicaid or Medicare which creates even larger access issues and gaps.