See US pharmacy closures over the last decade on an interactive Pitt map

The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, with guidance from the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), has released a map that visualizes pharmacy closures in the United States over the past 10 years. The interactive map animates pharmacy closures over time and allows users to explore geographic areas where pharmacies have closed their doors.

The publication of this map builds upon the collective work of Pitt Pharmacy and APhA to demonstrate the importance of patient access to pharmacies and to the pharmacists who provide health care in local communities.

“The community pharmacy is a foundational piece of our American health system. We must protect pharmacies from closures for the health and wellness of our communities,” says creator Lucas Berenbrok, associate professor of pharmacy and therapeutics in the School of Pharmacy.

In 2022, Berenbrok published the highly read Journal of the American Pharmacists Association article “Access to community pharmacies: A nationwide geographic information systems cross-sectional analysis,” which supports that nearly 90% of the U.S. population lives within 5 miles of a community pharmacy.

The map of pharmacy closures was created in partnership with Pitt’s Department of Geology and Environmental Science.

— Asher Jones, photography by Aimee Obidzinski