Why some People Skip the Closest Pharmacy—And What that Means for Health Care Deserts

Why It Matters

Understanding realized pharmacy access helps providers and policymakers target underserved areas, improving health outcomes and optimizing location decisions for essential services.

Key Takeaways

• 15.8 M Americans live in pharmacy deserts
• Only 70% use a pharmacy within 5 km
• 98% have a pharmacy within 5 km, yet many skip it
• Low‑income shoppers favor similar‑income pharmacies
• Model aids strategic placement of pharmacies and services

Pulse Analysis

The study’s core insight—that social familiarity outweighs sheer distance—challenges the traditional metric of "potential access" used by many health‑care planners. By integrating anonymized mobile‑phone movement patterns with foot‑traffic counts, researchers captured "realized access," showing that residents gravitate toward pharmacies that reflect their community’s economic and cultural profile. This nuance explains why simply adding stores to a map does not automatically close the gap in medication adherence or preventive care, especially in dense urban markets like Los Angeles where 25% of census tracts qualify as pharmacy deserts.

For pharmacy chains and retailers, the implications are clear: location decisions must incorporate demographic compatibility alongside geographic coverage. A store placed in a high‑income enclave may see limited patronage from nearby low‑income neighborhoods, reducing return on investment and perpetuating health inequities. Conversely, strategically locating outlets within or near low‑income clusters can boost foot‑traffic, foster community trust, and enhance public health outcomes. The model also offers a predictive tool for disaster preparedness, allowing authorities to anticipate shifts in mobility and ensure essential services remain reachable when infrastructure is compromised.

Policymakers can leverage these findings to refine subsidy programs, zoning incentives, and community health initiatives. By targeting subsidies toward pharmacies that serve socially aligned neighborhoods, governments can more efficiently allocate resources to reduce the 15.8 million‑person pharmacy desert burden. Moreover, the methodology can be extended to other critical services—grocery stores, clinics, and vaccination sites—ensuring that access strategies are data‑driven, equitable, and resilient in the face of future public‑health challenges.