How Pharmacy Deserts are Being Defined, Identified
Jennifer Zilka and Kyle Pudenz, DBA, introduced the issue of pharmacy deserts and discussed what has been driving store closures across the US.
The unprecedented number of recent pharmacy closures within the US has led experts and officials to start addressing the idea of pharmacy deserts.
“Currently, there are growing concerns in the United States over the limited access to pharmacies in certain areas,” wrote Cencora.1 “In the United States, there are 150 counties where there is no pharmacy, and nearly 4.8 million people who live in a county where there’s only one pharmacy for every 10,000 residents or more.”
Drug Topics was recently joined by Jennifer Zilka and Kyle Pudenz, DBA, from Cencora to discuss what pharmacy deserts are, the common trends that surround them, and the staggering statistics that highlight a need for more pharmacy locations in the US.
“[Pharmacists are] providing clinical advice, testing, immunizations, and many other necessary services to maintain good health,” said Zilka. “A pharmacy desert is really where patients don't have access to those services because there's not a pharmacy that's accessible in the market.”
The duo also discussed Cencora’s Insight into US Pharmacy Deserts interactive dashboard. Featuring an interactive map of pharmacy deserts across the country, patients and providers have significant data to identify and address pharmacy deserts in each respective locale.
Stay tuned for more from our conversation with Pudenz and Zilka. They will discuss in further depth how pharmacy deserts are impacting care and what industry leaders are doing to address the issue.
READ MORE: Pharmacy Deserts Prominent in Areas of High Social Vulnerability
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