Drugstore closures are leaving millions without easy access to a pharmacy

Washington Post - Rite Aid, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week, CVS and Walgreens have signaled plans to collectively shutter more than 1,500 stores in the past two years. Public health experts have already seen the fallout, noting that the first neighborhoods to lose their pharmacies are often predominantly Black, Latinx and low-income.“According to our estimates, about one in four neighborhoods are pharmacy deserts across the country,” said Dima Qato, an associate professor at the University of Southern California who studies pharmacy access and health equity. “These closures are disproportionately affecting communities that need pharmacies most.”