Communities with no pharmacy have worse health, OSU study finds. Where are they in Ohio?

Amid staffing shortages, rising costs and other issues plaguing the nation's health care landscape, an Ohio State University study found that thousands of communities in the United States are in a "pharmacy desert."

Approximately 46% of U.S. counties have at least one or more pharmacy deserts, defined as 10-mile radius without a retail pharmacy. This means many Americans lack reasonable access to prescribed medications and other health services — something that afflicts at least 15 communities in Ohio, according to the study.

Retail pharmacy chains like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid have been closing locations in Ohio and other states over the past year, likely worsening a problem for vulnerable populations that isn't going away anytime soon.

Barriers abound in pharmacy deserts for health care, outcomes

For those in pharmacy deserts, access to a pharmacy isn't often their only barrier to health care, according to the study.

Counties with pharmacy deserts were also more likely to have a shortage of primary care providers like physicians and nurse practitioners, a problem that the National Center of Health Workforce Analysis projects will last well into the next decade for the entire nation.

This is especially true in rural areas. The Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that rural counties have a lower rate of primary care, dental and mental health providers, even after taking population into consideration.

More: High drug prices and pharmacy deserts: Protesters blame drug middlemen, demand regulation

Counties that had many pharmacy deserts also had populations with more "social vulnerabilities," or nonmedical factors that determine someone's health outcomes. These can include lack of access to healthy food, reliable transportation, stable housing and education, as well as lower income levels.

Research shows that the social determinants can be more important than health care or lifestyle choices in influencing health, according to the World Health Organization, and "numerous studies" suggest that these factors account for between 30-55% of health outcomes.

Limited access to prescribed medications can even further worsen these outcomes, according to Dr. Timothy Pawlik, a senior author of the OSU study, since "poor access to pharmacies is often associated with lower medication adherence." This is prevalent in chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension, which are more likely to impact communities of color than white communities.

Where are Ohio's pharmacy deserts?

The study, which used the database TelePharm , found the 15 Ohio communities that are not within a 10 mile radius of a pharmacy.

• Castine in Darke County
• Neville in Clermont County
• Clarksburg in Ross County
• La Rue in Marion County
• New London in Huron County
• Orwell in Ashtabula County
• Bergholz in Jefferson County
• Nellie in Coschocton County
• Freeport in Harrison County
• Cumberland in Guernsey County
• Chesterhill in Morgan County
• Tuppers Plains in Meigs County
• Wilkesville in Vinton County
• Vinton in Gallia County
• Crown City in Gallia County

Samantha Hendrickson is The Dispatch's medical business and health care reporter. She can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com .

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Communities with no pharmacy have worse health, OSU study finds. Where are they in Ohio?