OPINION:
In many Black, elderly and rural communities across America, the closing of a local pharmacy is not a minor inconvenience; it’s a crisis. “Pharmacy deserts” are growing, and their impact falls hardest on those already facing barriers to health care, transportation and economic stability.
For seniors, especially those living alone, a nearby pharmacy can mean the difference between managing a chronic condition and ending up in the emergency room. Elaine, 67, lives in Franklin Parish, Louisiana. For years, she was able to walk to her local pharmacy to pick up her medications. When that pharmacy closed, her independence disappeared with it. Now she must wait until someone can pick her up and drive her to a pharmacy miles away.
With few friends and family members nearby, help doesn’t always come. Sometimes she simply goes without. But no one should have to choose between their health and the availability of a ride.
These closures also deepen long-standing racial disparities. Black communities are more likely to live in areas with fewer health-care resources, and the loss of pharmacies further isolates residents from preventive care, medication counseling and routine health monitoring.
When a pharmacy shuts its doors, it also takes with it critical jobs. In places where employment options are already limited, losing even one steady paycheck can ripple through an entire household. Blake, 24, from Anson County, North Carolina, knows this firsthand. He lives at home, where everyone works to help the family survive. When he lost his pharmacy job, the impact was immediate and severe. They couldn’t pay for cell phone service, had the lights cut off multiple times and struggled to put food on the table until he found new work.
Pharmacy deserts don’t just mean missing storefronts. They mean seniors losing independence, Black communities facing widening health gaps and rural families falling deeper into financial insecurity. Addressing this crisis demands policies that protect access to care, support essential health-care workers and recognize that when pharmacies disappear, entire communities are left behind.
JOSHUA BUTLER IV
East Point City Council member
East Point, Georgia
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