After the last pharmacy closed in Walden, Colo., a town of fewer than 600 people, residents created an informal crowdsourcing system through Facebook to get their prescriptions, Kaiser Health News reported July 1.
The economics of the pharmacy business have made it hard for community drugstores in small towns like Walden to survive, with large pharmacy chains buying up independent drugstores and controlling more of the pharmaceutical supply chain, KHN reported. Small towns like Walden have too few residents for a large chain pharmacy such as CVS or Walgreens to open a store there, and pharmacists aren't incentivized to open an independent pharmacy in small towns because it's not very profitable.
For Walden, the closest pharmacy is an hourlong drive through the mountains, and the roads are frequently closed by heavy winter storms. So the town created a system through a Facebook group started in 2013 to access their medications, according to KHN. Residents post in the group, asking if anyone is heading to a pharmacy and can bring back their prescriptions, and neighbors deliver the medications to each other.
The solution can't replace a pharmacy, where pharmacists give flu shots, COVID-19 shots, and in some states, including Colorado, prescribe contraceptives, KHN reported. Some pharmacists help patients manage their diabetes or smoking cessation programs. Patients can struggle to take their medications correctly without consulting with a pharmacist.
Studies have also shown that without a pharmacy nearby, patients aren't as likely to keep up with their medications, and their chronic conditions can get worse.
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