Pharmacy Deserts Leave Black and Latino Neighborhoods Without Accessible Healthcare Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch #BlackHealthFactsHealthy Living News
Pharmacy Deserts Leave Black and Latino Neighborhoods Without Accessible Healthcare
Research shows that one out of three urban neighborhoods is in a pharmacy desert. By Zachary SmithMay 17, 2021Everyday Health ArchiveFact-CheckedPharmacy closures impact patients and communities.Patrish Jackson/ShutterstockAs the United States continues the fight against COVID-19, officials are leveraging pharmacies to help administer vaccinations. This is excellent news for anybody who doesn't live near a hospital or clinic. But for 15 million Americans, getting their shots at a pharmacy still puts the vaccination out of reach. A new study published in the May issue of Health Affairs found that 1 out of 3 urban neighborhoods is in a pharmacy desert. Initially coined in 2014 by Dima M. Qato, PharmD, associate professor at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy in Los Angeles and senior author of this study, a "pharmacy desert" is an urban neighborhood that is more than a mile away from the nearest pharmacy. The distance is reduced to half a mile for neighborhoods with at least 100 households with no vehicle access or 20 percent of households below the federal poverty level. For the study, researchers focused on the 30 most populated cities using the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, categorizing neighborhoods by its predominant resident ethnicity. Pharmacies were identified using data from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs and the Health Resources and Services Administration from 2007 to 2015. Although there was an overall increase in the number of pharmacies over the eight years, fewer pharmacies were located in Black and Latino neighborhoods. Study author Jenny S. Guadamuz, PhD, postdoctoral research fellow at the University Southern California Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, says this is due to a combination of a lack of new pharmacies opening in nonwhite neighborhoods and the rise of independent pharmacy closures. Independent pharmacies comprise about 35 percent of pharmacies in the country but are disproportionately located in minority neighborhoods and are at a greater risk of closing compared with their corporate counterparts due to tighter margins of operation and exclusion from insurance companys' preferred pharmacy networks. Cities that showed the widest disparity of pharmacy deserts in Black neighborhoods compared with white neighborhoods included Chicago (32.6 percent versus 1.2 percent), Dallas (86.3 percent versus 20.6 percent), and Milwaukee (54.3 percent versus 15.8 percent). Similar patterns also existed for Latino neighborhoods in these cities. Dr. Guadamuz says that the original hope for the study was to identify a city without pharmacy deserts that could be a model for the rest of the country. But evidence suggests the disparity is getting worse since 2015, with closures creating pharmacy deserts that didn't previously exist. “The disparities are so stark in every city,” says Guadamuz. “It just speaks to how entrenched segregation is in urban areas and the lack of investment in these neighborhoods throughout the country.” #BlackHealthFacts Highlighting the Issues and Influencing Change
In this six-part #BlackHealthFacts series, we examine the social and systemic inequities that have impacted Black Americans’ health and look at how to make improved physical and mental health care possible for all.Watch now A Pharmacy s Place in a Neighborhood
Pharmacies are an accessible frontline healthcare option, with some being open 24 hours, seven days a week. Along with dispensing medication, responsibilities include performing screening tests, operating as walk-in clinics, and counseling patients through matters from pregnancy to drug recovery. According to Sandra Leal, PharmD, president of the American Pharmacists Association, the absence of pharmacies with these services widens the health disparity already experienced by Black and Latino neighborhoods. “If a pharmacy is closed in your neighborhood, and now you have to take public transportation, that creates barriers for people to be able to pick up their medications, and we know people are experiencing worse health outcomes," says Dr. Leal. This barrier becomes most problematic when pharmacies are tasked with critical roles, such as providing vaccinations against COVID-19. While the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program touts this arrangement as providing relief for the most affected communities, it does not account for the limited distance some people can travel. The program states that 90 percent of Americans will have access to a vaccine within five miles of where they live. For those in a pharmacy desert, that can be four miles too many. Some pharmacy chains declare the commitment to serving minority communities but show only varying degrees of success. A spokesperson from Rite Aid says that the pharmacy chain overwhelmingly serves diverse communities. However, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the second-largest vaccine provider in Philadelphia only vaccinated 4 percent of Black customers in a city where only one-third of residents are white. In July 2020, CVS Health announced that it is investing nearly $600 million over five years to assist disenfranchised communities. While this includes free health screenings and funding affordable housing efforts, there is no mention of opening pharmacies to serve these communities. A spokesperson from CVS Health said that 77 percent of the U.S. population already lives within five miles of a CVS pharmacy, and 10,000 are located in communities that rank high or very high on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index. The Opportunity for Change Through Policy
Government policies could encourage new pharmacies to open through tax and development incentives. For independent pharmacies that already exist in minority neighborhoods, reimbursements could be provided by lifting restrictions over the type of pharmacies a household can access under a healthcare plan. In Illinois, Representative La Shawn K. Ford introduced House Bill 591, which addresses these restrictions. If passed, the bill would prevent Medicaid managed care organizations contracted by Illinois's Department of Healthcare and Family Services (DHFS) from restricting access to pharmacies, as long as the pharmacy is licensed under the Pharmacy Practice Act and accepts fees from the DHFS. House Bill 591 was created after CVS Health acquired Aetna, then required Aetna customers to use CVS as their pharmacy. This was a problem for Medicaid clients located in the predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods of West Side and South Side of Chicago, where there isn't a CVS nearby. “There are people that really cannot travel outside of their home community and may live right next to a Walgreens,” says Representative Ford. “They can't use that Walgreens because it's out of network, and that's a travesty for people that don't have a car.” Representative Ford is waiting for the bill to go up for a vote during the current Illinois legislative session, believing it will pass once the Speaker of the House calls the bill. Dr. Qato was consulted on this bill. If you are living in a pharmacy desert, Leal suggests locating your nearest health center and inquire if they have a pharmacy. If you have access to the internet and a credit card, another option is to get prescriptions through a mail-order service. However, policy needs to address this problem to enact change. NEWSLETTERS Sign up for our Healthy Living Newsletter
SubscribeBy subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Latest in Healthy Living
Health Makers Eve Goldberg 61 Founder BIGVISION
A family tragedy inspired a commitment to helping young adults regain their lives after addiction recovery.By October 21, 2022 Health Makers Ron Gura 38 Co-Founder and CEO of Empathy
The startup helps people work through the emotional and financial costs of losing a loved one.By October 18, 2022 Audicus Hearing Aids Review 2022
Learn more about Audicus hearing aids with our in-depth review of the models, pricing, features, and payment options of this hearing aid brand.By Sheila OlsonOctober 12, 2022 Health Makers Peter Kirk 51 CEO of Sermo
While leading a company that connects physicians online, Kirk learned firsthand the importance of such information-sharing during his own illness.By October 11, 2022 5 Health Benefits of Taking a Bath Plus 5 Healthy Add-Ins for Your Next Soak
There’s nothing more relaxing than soaking in a warm tub, and the long-standing tradition of bathing may have some medicinal benefits.By Lacey MuinosSeptember 29, 2022 Health Makers Alex Timmons 34 Co-Owner of Mountain Trek
Discovering a path to wellness.By September 26, 2022 Adaptive Clothing for Disabilities and Body Differences
Check out the latest in shoes and clothes designed for people who use wheelchairs, have trouble with buttons and zippers, need discreet port access, and...By Cheryl CrowSeptember 14, 2022 What Are Compression Socks and Could You Benefit From Wearing Them
By Kate DanielSeptember 13, 2022 The Complete Hearing Aid Buyer s Guide for 2022
Looking for hearing aids but not sure where to start? Read our buyer’s guide to learn about hearing aid types and costs, see what’s new in hearing technology...By Cara EverettAugust 29, 2022 Best Hearing Aids for 2022 Reviews and Pricing
Shopping for a hearing aid but not sure where to start? Check out this guide to the best hearing aids for 2022, including prices, features, and how to...By Sara LindbergAugust 29, 2022 MORE IN What Is Black Joy and What Is Its Connection to Juneteenth
Health Changemaker Lisa Fitzpatrick MD MPH Brings Trusted Health Information to Black and Latinx Communities
What the Black Community Should Know About Hidradenitis Suppurativa