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Trump's top border adviser says he will bring back family detention; Advocates press for expanded access to services in CA; Winter aid available for Indiana rent, bills and basics; NM nonprofit aims to broker affordable housing solutions in Taos; Once homeless, a MO dog is now a children's book star.

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Immigrants' advocates worry about Trump's mass deportation plans. Voters from both parties oppose ending the EPA's regulatory power. And older adults want lawmakers to lower prescription drug costs.

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From the unprecedented election season to the latest environmental news, the Yonder Report looks back at stories that topped our weekly 2024 newscasts.

USC researchers call for legislation to combat 'pharmacy deserts'

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Wednesday, July 31, 2024   

Research shows many people in low-income California communities are having a hard time filling their prescriptions because pharmacies in their area are struggling and even closing.

One in four communities in Los Angeles County, for example, is now considered a "pharmacy desert."

Dima Qato, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Southern California, and her team have developed a mapping tool that reveals the extent of the problem, which she said hits communities of color hardest in both urban and rural areas.

"I think that it's getting worse," Qato observed. "In the next several years, a lot of chains have announced plans to close many of their stores. At the same time, one in three independents are at risk for closing."

Qato would like to see Congress reform the practices of pharmacy benefit managers, who decide where a patient can go to fill their medications, how much a pharmacy will be paid and which pharmacies are considered "in network" for health insurance. The bipartisan Pharmacy Benefits Manager Accountability Act, currently in Congress, would increase oversight of the industry.

Qato argued stronger policies could keep more independent pharmacies from going out of business, which could also improve health equity.

"It's due to the role of pharmacy benefit managers and low reimbursement rates, and the growth of pharmacy networks, which restrict where patients can and cannot go," Qato outlined. "Sometimes, patients have to bypass the nearest pharmacy to go to another pharmacy that's within their network."

University of Southern California researchers have called for policies encouraging pharmacies to locate in pharmacy deserts, including increases to Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates for those most at risk for closure.


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