@article{a215d16d334a433192dc58c99873f435,
title = "Fewer pharmacies in black and hispanic/latino neighborhoods compared with white or diverse neighborhoods, 2007–15",
abstract = "The accessibility of pharmacies may be an overlooked contributor to persistent racial and ethnic disparities in the use of prescription medications and essential health care services within urban areas in the US. We examined the availability and geographic accessibility of pharmacies across neighborhoods based on their racial/ethnic composition in the thirty most populous US cities. In all cities examined, we found persistently fewer pharmacies located in Black and Hispanic/ Latino neighborhoods than White or diverse neighborhoods throughout 2007–15. In 2015 there were disproportionately more pharmacy deserts in Black or Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods than in White or diverse neighborhoods, including those that are not federally designated Medically Underserved Areas. These disparities were most pronounced in Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Dallas, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; and Albuquerque, New Mexico. We also found that Black and Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods were more likely to experience pharmacy closures compared with other neighborhoods. Our findings suggest that efforts to increase access to medications and essential health care services, including in response to COVID-19, should consider policies that ensure equitable pharmacy accessibility across neighborhoods in US cities. Such efforts could include policies that encourage pharmacies to locate in pharmacy deserts, including increases to Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates for pharmacies most at risk for closure.",
author = "Guadamuz, {Jenny S.} and Wilder, {Jocelyn R.} and Mouslim, {Morgane C.} and Zenk, {Shannon N.} and Alexander, {G. Caleb} and Qato, {Dima Mazen}",
note = "Funding Information: Jenny Guadamuz was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholar program and by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Grant No. T32HL125294). Morgane Mouslim was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Grant No. T32HL139426). Shannon Zenk and Dima Qato were supported, in part, by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of the Clinical Scholars program. This study was supported, in part, by the National Institute on Aging (Grant No. R21AG049283). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. G. Caleb Alexander is past chair and a current member of the Food and Drug Administration{\textquoteright}s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Advisory Committee; is a co–founding principal and equity holder in Monument Analytics, a health care consultancy whose clients include the life sciences industry as well as plaintiffs in opioid litigation; and is a past member of OptumRx{\textquoteright}s National P&T Committee. These arrangements have been reviewed and approved by Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies. The research on which this article is based was conducted prior to Zenk{\textquoteright}s employment at the National Institutes of Health. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Project HOPE— The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.",
year = "2021",
month = may,
doi = "10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01699",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "40",
pages = "802--811",
journal = "Health Affairs",
issn = "0278-2715",
publisher = "Project Hope",
number = "5",
}