Pharmacies are the unsung hero of hands-on healthcare services.
Where are the pharmacies?
On average, Americans see their pharmacist more often than a primary care physician. However, pharmacies are
disappearing from the US. In particular, mom and pop pharmacies are dwindling in numbers. Pharmacies are not
evenly distributed across the United States, with regions of the country where the density of pharmacies is
lower than recommended for optimal service to the community. In fact, there are 177 counties with no pharmacies
at all. A lower density of pharmacies also leads to greater distances to be covered to reach one, an additional
barrier to those with low transportation resources. The cause of these deserts is multifactorial but likely commercial:
unlike hospitals, whose location and creation is regulated by overall plans, pharmacies remain outlets for large
corporations and thus follow market regulations for their location i.e. places where customer traffic is maximized.
Ease of access to pharmacies benefits individual Americans, and the population as a whole.
Below see where pharmacies are in the Maryland and Virginia, or more importantly, where they are not.
Now we know where pharmacies are, and aren't. How is any given county impacted?
Below shows the count of pharmacies by county for Maryland and Virginia.
The reasons why a county may have few, or no, pharmacies are myriad but relate to population.
From our broader US Care Desert analysis we have seen that the Great Plains significantly lacks pharmacies. Additionally in South Dakota there is a relationship between the lack of pharmacies and Native American reservations.
What else is there?
Throughout our broader US Care Desert analysis we see counties that have no pharmacies. While the majority of them are located in the Great Plains those counties located elsewhere might raise questions as to why they lack even a single pharmacy. One non Great Plains counties that has no pharmacies is Hamilton County. Why might a county as large as Hamilton, in a state as populous as New York have no pharmacies? Hamilton County is in the heart of Adirondack Park, a part of New York's Forest Preserve. The park is a unique blend of public and private land that exists in 11 counties. Hamilton is the only county entirely consumed by the park.