Category: Pharmacy Access

Event Recap | Transformation Series: Evolution of the Pharmacist | 9.24.2021

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,…Continue Reading Event Recap | Transformation Series: Evolution of the Pharmacist | 9.24.2021

NCPA partners with USC School of Pharmacy on access efforts

NCPA. September 9, 2021. The National Community Pharmacists Association is working with the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy and Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics to tackle barriers to pharmacy access, including closures. The organizations’ Pharmacy Access Initiative will generate real-time information for various officials, academics and industry leaders to…Continue Reading NCPA partners with USC School of Pharmacy on access efforts

Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles with fewer pharmacies than whites

LA Times, May 5, 2021. Los Angeles — Experts bring to light that between 2007 and 2015 there were fewer pharmacies for Latino and black communities in the Los Angeles region, compared to the areas where they lived whiter. “We focus on cities due to racial residential characteristics/segregation and the fact that more than 80%…Continue Reading Latino neighborhoods in Los Angeles with fewer pharmacies than whites

Fewer pharmacies in urban areas impact residents of color, USC research says

Los Angeles Daily News, May 3, 2021. Pharmacies are increasingly vital points of care for essential health services. In addition to filling prescriptions to treat chronic health conditions, pharmacists dispense emergency doses of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, contraceptives to prevent unplanned pregnancy and COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. “We focused on cities because of racial/ethnic…Continue Reading Fewer pharmacies in urban areas impact residents of color, USC research says

‘Pharmacy deserts’ disproportionately affect Black and Latino residents in largest U.S cities

USC Press Release, May 3, 2021.  Lack of easy access to prescription medications and other pharmacy-based services may contribute to health disparities “One in three neighborhoods throughout these cities were pharmacy deserts, affecting nearly 15 million people,” said Jenny S. Guadamuz, the study’s first author and postdoctoral fellow at the USC Schaeffer Center and the Program…Continue Reading ‘Pharmacy deserts’ disproportionately affect Black and Latino residents in largest U.S cities

‘Pharmacy deserts’ are new front in the race to vaccinate for COVID-19

ABC News, March 6, 2021. In some states, those who need the COVID-19 shot the most have no way to get it….Millions live in ‘pharmacy deserts’ with limited access to COVID-19 vaccine in US. In Chicago, at least a third of the population — or nearly 1 million people — lives in a pharmacy desert,…Continue Reading ‘Pharmacy deserts’ are new front in the race to vaccinate for COVID-19

Pharmacy deserts in Chicago could make it tough for many to get COVID-19 vaccine

ABC Chicago, February 4, 2021. CHICAGO (WLS) — Many Chicagoans are already struggling to fill prescriptions because there are no drugstores in their neighborhoods, and that could also make it tougher to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “My work found that predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Chicago have fewer pharmacies and are more likely to…Continue Reading Pharmacy deserts in Chicago could make it tough for many to get COVID-19 vaccine

The growth of “pharmacy deserts”

Axios, January 7, 2021.  Neighborhoods in cities like Chicago are rapidly becoming places where people can’t fill medical prescriptions locally because their drugstores have shuttered or don’t accept Medicaid. Why it matters: The pandemic has accelerated the growth of “pharmacy deserts” as unprofitable and less-profitable stores have closed. It’s a worrisome trend for the urban…Continue Reading The growth of “pharmacy deserts”

Filling of prescriptions is harder with insurer’s action

AP News, January 2, 2021. CHICAGO (AP) — A December decision by insurer Aetna to drop Walgreens from its Illinois Medicaid plan is making it harder for thousands of low-income Chicago residents to get their prescriptions filled. The Chicago Tribune reports Aetna’s decision to exclude the Walgreens chain from its Aetna Better Health of Illinois…Continue Reading Filling of prescriptions is harder with insurer’s action

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