Digital pharmacies can bridge the healthcare access gap | Opinion

By Thomas McKiney

Access to essential healthcare services is a fundamental right, yet thousands of New Jersey residents are facing a growing crisis that undermines this notion: the rise of pharmacy deserts.

With the recent announcement by Rite Aid to shutter more than 1,200 of its remaining stores, the bankruptcy marks yet another chapter in an unprecedented wave of pharmacy closures. Some of the closures have been local community staples, but big chain pharmacy closures are accelerating at a concerning rate—now totaling more than 3,300 nationwide including hundreds across the Garden State.

Closures exacerbate the existing healthcare access crisis

A recent industry study, conducted before this current wave of closures, revealed that 46% of U.S. counties comprising more than 48 million…