Mass pharmacy closures across the United States are leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans without access to life-saving medications and basic health care, a new analysis has revealed.
New national data from two industry bodies show that Western states such as Alaska and California have about 12 pharmacies per 100,000 residents, while eastern and southern states such as New York and West Virginia have nearly 30 pharmacies per 100,000 residents.
Experts have blamed the growing popularity of online medication services and financial difficulties for many closures of brick-and-mortar operations.
However, pharmacy closures affect more than just prescriptions. Many Americans rely on them for vital health care services, such as routine vaccinations and diabetes management.
Conducted by the Associated Press, the analysis He looked at pharmacy locations down to the ZIP code level.
It found that about two-thirds of retail pharmacies in states with limited access were owned by large corporate chains, while independently owned pharmacies are more likely to be in cities with larger populations.
According to data from the National Council on Prescription Drug Programs and the American Community Survey, Western states have some of the lowest placements per 100,000 residents, including Alaska, Oregon and California.
The analysis also found that eastern and southern states had the most access, with West Virginia, New York and Arkansas among the top.
Closings among major pharmacy chains have been on the rise, with major players like CVS and Rite Aid closing hundreds of locations.
According to CVS, 85 percent of Americans live within five miles of one of its pharmacies, of which the company has more than 9,000 locations.
The stores not only allow customers to purchase medications and fill prescriptions, but some locations also offer vaccinations and basic medical care.
Dr. Prakash Patel, a pharmacist who owns Bert’s Pharmacy in Elizabeth, New Jersey, told the AP that sometimes the pharmacy is a sick customer’s “first stop.”
He said: ‘There is no easy access to a doctor’s office. You need an appointment. They have limited hours. So whenever a child or an adult, whoever is sick, where will they go first? To the pharmacy.
Additionally, Megan Undeberg, a community pharmacy expert at Washington State University, said pharmacists in rural pharmacies often see and care for people more than doctors, meaning they can spot signs of dangerous medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
She told the publication: “You’re the smoking cessation counselor, you’re the suicide prevention counselor.” He knows almost everything about everyone, but it’s confidential.
In November, CVS announced it had closed 564 of the 900 locations it planned to close.
Another pharmaceutical giant, Rite Aid, has more than 1,700 locations in 16 states, employs more than 6,000 pharmacists, and offers pharmacy, immunization, and basic health care services.
In October, Rite Aid announced as part of its bankruptcy process that it planned to close hundreds of underperforming stores.
Walgreens also offers similar services at its Duane Reade stores and pharmacies, which it acquired in 2010.
Last summer, the company announced it planned to close approximately 150 locations in the US, as well as 300 stores in the UK.
Dr. Dima Qato, an associate professor at the University of Southern California who studies pharmacy access, he told the AP When companies look to close stores, they often target low-income and minority neighborhoods.
Dr. Qato, who is a pharmacist, added: “They tend to close in these neighborhoods regardless of whether or not there is another pharmacy nearby.”
According to additional data, more than 7,000 pharmacies have closed since 2019, but the researcher behind this, Lucas Berenbrok of the University of Pittsburgh, said that number is “conservative.”
Of those, about half were independent pharmacies.
Pharmacies, both chain and independent, often close because they are no longer profitable, are performing poorly, or the surrounding population is declining.
However, rampant theft and crime have also played a more recent role in the closures.
In September 2023, a CVS store manager was shot and killed by a customer accused of shoplifting in Arizona, and photographs of pharmacy chains in major cities such as Washington, D.C., and New York show empty shelves after people loot the products.
CapitalOne Research estimated that stores lost nearly $87 billion to retail theft in 2022 and is projected to cost businesses more than $115 billion by 2025.