Investor Presentaiton slide image

Investor Presentaiton

Oregon 65 or older decreased. 21 In the U.S., it is estimated medication nonadherence is associated with 125,000 deaths, 33%-69% of medication-related hospitalizations, and $100 to $300 billion in health care services annually. 22 Pharmacists can help improve medication adherence and management of chronic diseases and potentially reduce costly hospital readmissions. The number of local and independent pharmacies has been falling across the nation. Pharmacy closures disproportionately affect Black and Latino communities. Closures have also negatively impacted Oregon's rural communities, which have higher barriers to accessing medications. 23 Sixteen counties in Oregon are below the national average for community pharmacies per 10,000 people, as shown in Figure 12. Figure 12: Sixteen Oregon counties are below the national average for community pharmacies Powered by Bing GeoNames, TomTom Counties below the national average for pharmacies per 10,000 people ■Clackamas ■ Columbia ■Deschutes ■Jefferson ■Josephine ■ Klamath ■Lane ■Linn ■Marion ■Multnomah ■ Polk ■ Sherman ■Umatilla Washington ■Wheeler ■ Yamhill Source: Auditor analysis of Portland State University Population Center data, pharmacy data from the Oregon Board of Pharmacy, and the National Institute of Health Although the map shows that many rural counties are in line with national averages, the ratio mapped does not consider the geographic size of a county. Some rural counties are over twenty times larger geographically than their urban counterparts while most have far fewer than a twentieth of the population. This means rural counties with only one or two pharmacies serving a large geographic area can have a pharmacy to resident ratio in line with national averages. But the nearest pharmacy to many residents still may be hours away. Fewer pharmacies in any given area translate to longer drive times and increased wait times at existing pharmacies. Mail order pharmacies can be helpful to those in 21 Journal article- Pharmacy density in rural and urban communities in the state of Oregon and the association with hospital readmission rates 22 Medication adherence generally refers to patients taking their medications as prescribed and as long as prescribed. 23 Journal article- Independently Owned Pharmacy Closures in Rural America Oregon Secretary of State Report 2023-25 | August 2023 | page 19
View entire presentation