DELPHOS — Residents of Delphos will soon have to travel to Van Wert or Lima to get their prescriptions filled, as Rite Aid—the city’s only pharmacy—plans to close later this year.
This closure will turn Delphos into the latest pharmacy desert in Allen County, joining other towns like Columbus Grove, Cridersville, and the Harrod-Lafayette areas, where no pharmacies remain.
“A lot of people don’t want to drive outside of town,” said Alice Curth, director of the Delphos Senior Citizens Center, which helps seniors who are 60 years and older with prescription pickups and transportation to pharmacies or doctor’s appointments if they can’t drive themselves.
Choosing a New Pharmacy
Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last October due to financial losses from opioid lawsuits, poor sales, and low reimbursement rates for prescription medications.
The retail pharmacy chain plans to close under-performing stores in Lima, Delphos, Ottawa, Ada, Kenton, Russells Point, and other locations.
More closures are expected as the bankruptcy case continues.
Pharmacies like Ohio Northern University’s HealthWise Pharmacy and Mercy Health-St. Rita’s Medical Center are already seeing an uptick in prescription transfers since Rite Aid announced it would close under-performing stores.
“There’s been a sense of frustration because patients aren’t able to use their established pharmacy,” said Kyle Miller, director of outpatient pharmacy at St. Rita’s, which is open to the public.
“Overall, it’s been smooth,” Miller added, “but it has forced patients to select a new pharmacy.”
Patients often ask why their prescriptions didn’t transfer to their preferred pharmacy, noted HealthWise Director Michael Rush.
“The simple answer to that is patient safety,” Rush explained. “You want to make sure the patient continues to have access to their medications.”
‘Not a Great Business Model’
The upcoming closure of Rite Aid will create a pharmacy desert in Delphos, joining other communities like Columbus Grove, Cridersville, Dunkirk, and the Harrod-Lafayette areas that already have no pharmacies in town.
Curth is uncertain how the closure will impact the demand for prescription pickups at the Delphos Senior Citizens Center, which frequently travels to Lima, Van Wert, and Spencerville.
The agency might assign a dedicated driver for pharmacy runs if the demand justifies it, Curth said.
“We’ve anticipated this, so we’re letting people know about the services we offer, hoping we can assist them,” she said.
Retail pharmacy chains like Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS became dominant due to their ability to purchase large quantities of medication at lower costs than independent pharmacies, Rush explained.
However, many of these chains now face challenges as the cost of medications exceeds what insurance companies are willing to pay, Rush said.
“It’s not a sustainable business model to sell products for less than you purchase them,” he said.
A New Model for Pharmacy
ONU established the HealthWise Pharmacy in 2018 to train pharmacy students. Soon, it will be the only pharmacy in Ada.
This pharmacy differs from typical retail stores: it offers few items for sale up front. In the back, there are two patient rooms where pharmacy students perform blood pressure checks and other basic services, mimicking primary care offices.
Rush views this as the future of pharmacy, especially in communities with limited primary care physicians.
“The pharmacist is your most accessible health care provider,” Rush said. “Most people see their pharmacist monthly, whereas they may only see their physician once or twice a year. There’s an opportunity for pharmacists to play a larger role in patient care.”