Category: Drug Access

USC experts discuss how repeal of Roe v. Wade’s would impact maternal welfare

USC Press Room, May 5, 2022 Sanctuary states should improve access to emergency and preventive contraception “Expanding access to birth control — emergency and preventive contraception — at local pharmacies should also be prioritized. All pharmacies should be required to carry and mandated to dispense birth control to anyone that requests it with or without…Continue Reading USC experts discuss how repeal of Roe v. Wade’s would impact maternal welfare

Who gets abortions in US? CDC data offers snapshot of which groups typically seek procedure

ABC News, May 6, 2022 By  Denise Dador According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abortion is an important component of public health. The most recent data from 2019 offers a snapshot of which groups seek the procedure. As the data shows, barring access from the procedure would disproportionately affect young women. As…Continue Reading Who gets abortions in US? CDC data offers snapshot of which groups typically seek procedure

If Supreme Court abortion ruling overturns Roe v. Wade, here are 5 things that could happen next

USC News, May 6, 2022 By  Leigh Hopper The Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion that could reverse Roe v. Wade has many people wondering what a post-Roe landscape might look like. Dima Qato, an associate professor at the USC School of Pharmacy and senior fellow at the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy…Continue Reading If Supreme Court abortion ruling overturns Roe v. Wade, here are 5 things that could happen next

Pandemic highlights importance in fighting ‘pharmacy deserts,’ especially in communities of color

ABC Action News Tampa Bay, February 22, 2022 By  Chris Stewart “A pharmacy desert is a neighborhood where the majority of the population lives more than a mile or a half a mile–depending on their income and vehicle ownership–from their nearest pharmacy in urban areas,” said University of Southern California associate professor Dima Qato. Qato…Continue Reading Pandemic highlights importance in fighting ‘pharmacy deserts,’ especially in communities of color

Access for All

AACP, February 14, 2022 By Jane E. Rooney As pharmacy deserts proliferate, more must be done to examine barriers to access and prepare future pharmacists to address the needs of underserved communities. The term “pharmacy deserts” is popping up with greater frequency as pharmacy closures become more widespread and independent pharmacies struggle to survive in…Continue Reading Access for All

One Chicago pharmacy avoids creating another drugstore desert by tapping into its deep roots

Fortune, December 22, 2021. By Markian Hawryluk and Kaiser Health News Like other community pharmacists nationwide, Muldrow has seen private insurers steer his customers toward their own allied chain, mail-order and specialty pharmacies. Urban independent pharmacies, particularly those in low-income Black and Latino communities, have been more likely to close than chain drugstores. “There’s really no financial…Continue Reading One Chicago pharmacy avoids creating another drugstore desert by tapping into its deep roots

Pharmacy Deserts Hinder Medications Access in Segregated Black and Latino Neighborhoods

Public Health Post, December 2, 2021. Pharmacies are an important part of the health care system because they dispense prescription and over-the-counter medications and increasingly provide preventative services, including Covid-19 testing and immunization. However, geographic access to pharmacies varies throughout the US, especially in segregated American cities. Disparities in pharmacy access impact medication adherence, or…Continue Reading Pharmacy Deserts Hinder Medications Access in Segregated Black and Latino Neighborhoods

What do CVS store closures say about the future of pharmacies?

NPR Morning Report, November 19, 2021. Caroline Champlain– CVS says it is planning to close about 900 stores over the next three years, starting in 2022. The company says it’s an effort to review the retail side of its business, and focus on more health care services. But when it comes to choosing which stores…Continue Reading What do CVS store closures say about the future of pharmacies?

Walgreens Not Following U.S. Guidance on Pfizer Vaccine Spacing

NY Times, April 5, 2021. Following complaints from customers and the C.D.C., the pharmacy chain will start scheduling Pfizer vaccine doses three weeks apart. Dima Qato, a pharmacist and associate professor at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, said she was concerned about how the public perceives inconsistent messages about spacing doses of…Continue Reading Walgreens Not Following U.S. Guidance on Pfizer Vaccine Spacing

‘Just not equal at all’: Vaccine rollout in Chicago a microcosm of racial disparities nationwide

USA Today, February 12, 2021. People of color have suffered most from COVID-19. Now that vaccines are here, they are far less likely to have received a first dose for many of the same reasons. “If pharmacies are not available in specific neighborhoods, specifically majority-minority, majority-Black or -Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago and elsewhere, you’re going…Continue Reading ‘Just not equal at all’: Vaccine rollout in Chicago a microcosm of racial disparities nationwide