While local and national media outlets frequently report on food deserts, particularly in cities that lack sufficient grocery stores, there is one major shortage that goes largely unnoticed by the press: pharmacies.
“Pharmacy deserts” pose a real threat, particularly for vulnerable populations. This is something I’ve seen firsthand. Last year, the Rite Aid in my neighborhood in Riverside, California, closed down and was boarded up for good. It came as no surprise, as it had been repeatedly robbed. A few months ago, it reopened as a shoe store. (READ MORE: See How Bad Gavin Newsom Let Crime Get in California)
The pharmacy’s closure is just a minor inconvenience for me; I can order meds or simply make the extra five-minute drive to the Rite Aid in Canyon Crest, which is a safer neighborhood anyway. But for a friend of mine, who years ago was hit by a car that broke her legs and hip, leaving her tied to a walker, it’s more serious. My friend, who was formally homeless, now lives in a halfway house. Ordering meds to her door has never been a secure option. Now, with the pharmacy closed, she relies on friends, Uber, or city services to get the medication she needs.
It works, but it’s far from ideal, and not everyone in my friend’s position is so lucky. Reliable help, available Ubers, and city services are no guarantee.
This problem is widespread, and it’s only getting worse. Last year, Rite Aid closed 145 stores. CVS plans to close 300 pharmacies annually for the next three years.
These closures are due in part to shoplifting and organized theft. Shoplifting in general has risen dramatically post-COVID. Shoplifting and organized theft crimes represented a nearly $100 billion problem in 2021, according to the National Retail Federation. It makes sense that pharmacies are a particular target for pillaging. Items such as over-the-counter medicines or cosmetics are small in size, high in value, and easily resold. CVS Health’s director of organized retail crime and corporate investigations, Ben Dugan, testified before Congress that “the average professional thief targeting a CVS pharmacy steals $2,000 in just two minutes.”
All this spells hard times for the disadvantaged. When pharmacies close, these individuals must travel farther to get their medications. A study by GoodRx found that in 40 percent of all U.S. counties, residents must drive an average of 15 minutes to get to the nearest pharmacy. To some, a 15-minute drive might not seem that burdensome. But for those without access to a car or efficient public transportation, it often means going without needed medication. This disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities, according to a 2022 study in the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association.
We can blame poor policies for contributing to the problem. For example, in California, theft of goods worth $950 or less is classified as a mere misdemeanor.
Thankfully, some legislators at both the state and federal level recognize that this is a real problem. A recently proposed bill in California, AB-1708, would allow higher charges for repeat offenders to help reverse the trend. Meanwhile, Congress passed the INFORM Consumers Act in 2022. The act requires the verification of online third-party sellers, making it more difficult for thieves to sell stolen goods online. The act comes into effect this June. While a step in the right direction, the law does not reverse existing closures or address repeat offenders at the local level.
Of course, shoplifting and organized retail crime are not the only reasons pharmacies keep closing. Pharmacist shortages also contribute.
Because of pharmacist and labor shortages, many pharmacies have cut back on hours. As noted by University of Southern California associate professor Dima Qato, even shortening hours can be “akin to a pharmacy closing for some people.” Some stores ask pharmacists to take longer shifts or work multiple locations. Patients seeking to fill their prescriptions face long waits — even up to a month — to get their medication. With few pharmacists working, some stores have been forced to close.
America faced a similar pharmacist shortage in 2000. New pharmacy schools opened to meet demand, and pharmacist numbers quickly rebounded. But in 2019, pharmacists successfully lobbied pharmacy associations to halt new school accreditations until 2030.
Just four years later, we see how interference in pharmacist accreditation can be directly tied to the current pharmacist shortage, longer waits for medicine, and even pharmacy closures.
Pharmacy deserts afflict the most vulnerable among us. To prevent more pharmacy closures, bills like AB-1708 can help local law enforcement crack down on organized retail crime. Additionally, pressuring pharmacy groups to reverse accreditation limits would allow demand to set the market.
McKenzie Richards is a policy associate at the Pacific Research Institute where she writes on health policy and a contributor at Young Voices. Follow her on Twitter @McK_Richards.