CLEVELAND — Pharmacies across the country have been closing their doors for a number of reasons. 

What You Need To Know

  • Over 300 have closed so far this year across the United States
  • Pharmacy closures affects those who access it the most: seniors
  • A PBM controls pharmacy benefits, they determine where you go, how much you pay and what drugs are covered or not covered

Some opened too many stores in decades past while others face bankruptcy, and it’s impacting those that need them most.

Over 300 have closed so far this year, according to the Ohio Pharmacists Association. One clinic is trying to help fill the void in some neighborhoods, but the closures aren’t just geographical.

“The whole idea about getting a prescription filled is actually treating a condition and keeping you out of a higher cost setting,” David Burke, executive director of the Ohio Pharmacist Association.

More than 300 large chain pharmacies and three dozen small chain pharmacies closed in the state of Ohio just last year, according to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy.

“As you can imagine, they aren’t closing these stores in affluent areas. So, they're usually urban pharmacy deserts where there's low-income folks or rural areas where you just don't have the population,” Burke said. "We think about pharmacy closures in a geographic way, but you also have pharmacies that maybe close to you, but your insurance because of PBM rules and regulations don't allow you to go there. So, we have contractual deserts that are much larger than the geographic deserts.”

A PBM is a pharmacy benefit manager. Burke said they control your pharmacy benefits, they determine where you go, how much you pay and what drugs are covered or not covered.

“It squeezes other people out of the marketplace. The 'mom and pops,' which are independent pharmacies, have been beaten down,” Burke said.“It squeezes other people out of the marketplace. The 'mom and pops,' which are independent pharmacies, have been beaten down,” Burke said.

Opening new pharmacies can be costly and time consuming, but one neighborhood pharmacy says the work is worth it.

“Many people rely on their pharmacist to do more than just educate them on their prescriptions. In many cases, that may be the only health care provider that they have an interaction with,” Dominic Hopson, CEO of Neighborhood Family Practice. The health center caters to the Hispanic and refugee population. They’ll be opening a third pharmacy in a former CVS in Cleveland in the coming year.

Burke said the closure of pharmacies is mostly affecting seniors. But having access to a nearby pharmacy can be preventive medicine for the entire community. 

“Aside from just getting your medication (you) stay out of the hospital. So, folks will end up in urgent cares… they will end up in emergency rooms,” he said.