As some retail pharmacies have struggled to stay open, especially in Boston’s diverse neighborhoods, community health centers are stepping up to fill the void.
Dozens of pharmacies have closed in Boston and hundreds statewide, complicating an already exacerbated situation.
The exodus by traditional pharmacies has created what are known as “pharmacy deserts.”
“It’s good for me to have a pharmacy in my neighborhood because I need it,” said Gloria Bowers, a patient of Dimock Health Center in Roxbury. “We have a lot of elderly here, people that can’t get their medication or walk to get their medication.”
Boston’s community health centers
When local pharmacies shut down, some community health centers sprang into action to help fill the gap.
“We had CVS here, and then we ended up ending the contract with CVS because of the issues we were having, and then we needed to make a decision quick: What do we do now? Do we open our own pharmacy or do we team up with someone else?” said Marisol Rosario, chief operating officer at the Dimock Center.
The Dimock Center ended up doing both. They teamed up with the Community Pharmacy Cooperative (CPC), an organization serving as a vital resource for community health centers who want to provide pharmacy services.