State investment Supports More Than 430 pharmacies to Expand Access
Axline Pharmacy of Bushnell, McDonough District Hospital Community Pharmacy and Walgreens Pharmacy of Macomb are the local recipients of funding through an Illinois Pharmacy Support Program, funded through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA). The $24.7 million in funding 434 entities throughout the state is designed to strengthen access to pharmacy services across Illinois.
'Local pharmacies are often one of the most accessible and affordable points of care for working families, seniors, and Medicaid patients, providing medications, vaccinations, and trusted health care services,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “With pharmacies facing growing financial pressures, Illinois is stepping up to strengthen and support these critical providers and ensure working families across the state continue to receive the care they rely on close to home.”
Every eligible pharmacy that applied received $56,892 to ensure support for pharmacies that serve as essential health care access points in their communities. The 434 pharmacies receiving funding span almost all of Illinois’ 102 counties.
“Every Illinoisan deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of their ZIP code,” said Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “Community pharmacies play a vital role in closing healthcare gaps by providing convenient access to medications, vaccinations, and essential health services. This funding helps preserve those critical access points and advances our commitment to building a healthier, more equitable Illinois. By investing in pharmacies that serve as trusted community anchors, we are helping ensure families across our state can continue to access the care they need, close to home.”
The program provides flexible funding to pharmacies to meet their individual needs, which includes supporting existing operations, as well as initiatives such as expanded pharmacy hours, telepharmacy services, remote consultations and medication delivery to help residents overcome barriers to care. In addition, pharmacies will strengthen patient outreach and care coordination efforts, helping more Illinoisans access the medications, resources and support they need to improve their health.
'We are committed to serving our community today and into the future. As our patients' needs grow, we will continue to grow with them by providing trusted, personalized care and striving to be our community's first choice for pharmacy services,' said Gloria Bamforth, vice president of MDH Medical Group. 'This funding from the state will help us accomplish our goals.'
According to Troy Williams, president/owner of Axline Pharmacy, while his organization has not yet received the funding, the money will help offset losses caused and created by the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). The largest three PBMs control over 80 percent of the prescription market nationwide and control over 90 percent of Axline's market, he shared.
'We are forced to dispense product/prescriptions to participate in the plan, even at a loss, or risk being removed from the plan,' Williams explained. 'Last year, in Bushnell alone, we dispensed 3,165 prescriptions below our acquisition cost. This does not include prescriptions dispensed at or near our acquisition cost. This is not sustainable. Because the amount is a fixed amount for the locations that qualify, this money will go a long way in covering our losses in our smaller tele-pharmacies. But in our larger locations, this amount is a mere fraction of the dollars lost to below cost reimbursement.'
Eligible entities were evaluated on an individual basis, and funding was made available to pharmacies that met one or more of the following criteria, including critical access pharmacies serving rural or medically underserved areas; small independent pharmacies with fewer than 10 locations; pharmacies in rural counties with fewer than 50,000 residents; pharmacies in larger counties located in federally designated Medically Underserved Areas or Populations; pharmacies serving predominantly Medicaid patients, with at least 65% of claims from Medicaid and most services delivered in Illinois; and pharmacies in high poverty, low access census tracts, where residents live significant distances from pharmacy services Other area pharmacies include Moreland & Devitt Pharmacy in Rushville; Wear Drug in Carthage; Nauvoo Pharmacy PLLC; Axline II in Canton and Lewistown; Walgreens in Canton; and Axline in Roseville.
