Across the United States, a growing number of communities are facing a critical gap in healthcare access known as “pharmacy deserts”—areas where residents must travel long distances to reach the nearest pharmacy. The consequences are more than inconvenient; they’re dangerous.
A pharmacy desert occurs when there is limited or no access to pharmacies within a reasonable distance, typically due to closures in low-income, rural, or underserved urban areas. These closures are often driven by financial pressures, corporate consolidation, or declining reimbursement rates, leaving residents without access to essential medications and routine healthcare services.
A Struggle for Medication Access
For many, the closure of a nearby pharmacy marks the beginning of a much harder journey to maintain their health. Without consistent access to medications, patients are forced to make impossible decisions.
“The first problem communities face when they lose access to a pharmacy is they see patients struggle to properly manage conditions requiring consistent access to their medication,” DoorSpace CEO Sarah M. Worthy explained. “Mail delivery programs can help somewhat—but most states have regulatory restrictions in place for a number of drugs, especially drugs to manage mental health conditions, that prohibit mail delivery to patients.”
While pharmacy chains and online services often tout mail-order prescriptions as a solution, they don’t meet the needs of every patient or prescription. Mental health medications, controlled substances, and drugs that require pharmacist oversight or refrigeration are often unavailable through mail-order options due to strict regulations.
This puts vulnerable populations at even greater risk. Without reliable access to medications, patients begin to ration what they have.
“While trying to find a way to the nearest pharmacy, people will resort to stretching the medicine they have on hand—which is detrimental to their health,” said the expert.
The delay in access can lead to skipped doses, unmonitored side effects, or the complete abandonment of treatment plans.
“This means patients may skip doses for several days while they’re trying to arrange the time and transportation to get to the nearest pharmacy that may now be over an hour away, instead of 20 minutes, by car,” they added. “This inconsistency in access to their medication leads to lower quality outcomes for chronic conditions.”
Beyond Medications: A Loss of Preventative Care
Pharmacies are often far more than just a place to fill prescriptions. In many communities—especially rural ones or areas without nearby clinics—pharmacists play a key role in routine care. They provide flu shots, COVID vaccines, blood pressure checks, health screenings, and guidance on managing chronic conditions like diabetes and asthma.
“The second problem is that many of these pharmacies are also providing some form of primary and/or preventative care and when they close, that community loses that preventative care,” Worthy noted.
The loss of this access means that communities are not just missing medication—they’re missing an essential part of their healthcare system. Seniors, people without personal transportation, and individuals with disabilities are disproportionately affected.
A National Problem with Local Impact
Pharmacy deserts are not isolated to rural America. Many low-income urban neighborhoods are experiencing similar challenges, as major pharmacy chains shut down stores that they deem financially unviable. These decisions often come without warning, leaving patients scrambling.
Community leaders and healthcare advocates are calling for more investment in pharmacy services in underserved areas, greater flexibility in telehealth and mail-order drug regulations, and better reimbursement for independent pharmacies to stay open.
As the U.S. continues to grapple with healthcare disparities, pharmacy deserts highlight a dangerous and growing gap. Without local pharmacies, millions are left without a lifeline to the care and medication they need to manage chronic illnesses and maintain their health. For many, the absence of a nearby pharmacy is more than a matter of miles—it’s a matter of life and death.