Low-income communities are frequently under-served by pharmacies and other
healthcare resources. A recent study found that urban, predominately minority, and low-income
communities have persistently fewer pharmacies and that, where there is a pharmacy, it is more
likely to be an independent pharmacy than a large chain pharmacy* .
Another study reports that in Chicago, Illinois, from 2000 through
2012, there were fewer pharmacies in segregated Hispanic communities than in segregated white
communities and in racially or ethnically integrated communities (availability of pharmacies was
measured in terms of the number of pharmacies per census tract and the distance between
pharmacies and residents homes)**.The authors conclude that the same is likely true for other
major urban areas, such Los Angeles.
Source: United States Census Bureau, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013. Current Population Reports,
DeNavas-Walt, Carmen and Proctor, Bernadette D., September 2014.
Jamie Belcastro, Pharmacist and President of Belmora LLC is committed to improving healthcare access to U.S.Latinos. As a result of a lack of competition, U.S. Latinos, face barriers to gaining access to healthcare in the U.S. versus other Americans. The issue must be addressed and requires national planning at the Federal level, otherwise we will see dramatic increases in morbidity and mortality rates within the Latino community that will ultimately negatively impact the U.S. economy.
Belmora has focused its efforts from the beginning on distributing its Flanax products in independent retailers servicing the Latino community in the U.S. and continues its outreach efforts by making Healthcare information accessible and easy to understand for the Latino community.
*Qato, Dima M. et al., “The Availability of Pharmacies and Pharmacy Services in the United States: 2007-2005.”
Value in Health 19, no. 3 (May 2016), at p. A268.
**Qato, Dima M. et al., “‘Pharmacy Deserts’ Are Prevalent In Chicago’s Predominantly Minority Communities,
Raising Medication Access Concerns,” Health Affairs, Volume 33, no. 11 (2013): 1958-1965 at pp. 1958-1962.
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