Map is courtesy of Sumei Zhang , PhD , AICP , Director , Master of Urban Planning Program ; Director , Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development Program ; Associate Professor , Department of Urban and Public Affairs , University of Louisville .
too weak to take a bus trip to his pharmacy , and his adult children were off for the weekend ; so , he just waited at home . By Monday , two days after discharge , he was again so short of breath that he called EMS to take him back to the hospital .
My patient Robert ’ s situation is not atypical . Pharmacy deserts are not just a rural concern but are also prevalent in the urban areas of Kentucky . A number of factors contribute to the development of pharmacy deserts with poor access to necessary medications including :
• Transportation — Access is available only if a person can physically get to the pharmacy . The definition of a pharmacy desert is based upon the time it takes to get to the drug store . Some parts of Louisville lack direct bus routes , and individuals may not have access to cars . The Blue Cross Association undertook a demonstration project in Philadelphia by providing Lyft vouchers prescribed by doctors so that the patient could get from the physician ’ s office to the pharmacy and then home .
• Retail pharmacy closures — In town last year , Walgreens closed four locations in downtown Louisville , Beechmont , Camp Taylor and Berrytown , and Pleasure Ridge Park . CVS plans to close 300 pharmacies a year nationally for the next three years . This will be nearly 10 % of its outlets . In Louisville , CVS is closing only one store on Brownsboro Road . Kroger has dropped its in-store pharmacy in at least one Louisville location , and over the last several years has closed several unprofitable stores . These closures reduce access , often for those most in need .
• Independent pharmacies being squeezed — Once independent pharmacies were ubiquitous , but the high costs and low margins have forced so many to close locally and nationally . The remaining independent pharmacies are mostly located in the East End of Louisville . By their nature , independent pharmacies have traditionally had pharmacists with greater tenure . They are more likely to provide education and to know their customers ’ health needs than their counterparts in chain stores .
• Lack of pharmacists — Even when there is an available pharmacy , the hours of operation are frequently curtailed because of the lack of pharmacists . Increasingly , there is a shortage of both trained pharmacists and pharmacy technicians . A Bureau of Labor Statistics study showed that between 2019 and 2021 , there was a 6 % decline in pharmacists working in drug stores . ( https :// www . bls . gov / ooh / healthcare / pharmacists . htm )
• Perceptions of safety — Some of the perceptions are real , and others are exaggerated . There is a higher rate of pharmacy closure in Black and Hispanic communities than in white ones . 3 Pharmacy chains cite broken windows , robberies and difficulty in recruiting staff for stores in such communities . Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians tend to make lower salaries in impoverished communities of color . From a focus group at the University of Louisville , there were comments that
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