Today's Perspective
Kristin Wiisanen, PharmD, FAPhA, FCCP, Pharmacy Today editor in chief
The nearly 20% of Americans living in rural areas face unique obstacles to health care, according to the National Rural Health Association. Rural Americans are older, more likely to live below the poverty line, have 25% fewer physicians per 100,000 people, and when health care is available it is less accessible than in urban areas. Nearly 80% of rural America has been designated by the federal government as medically underserved. Fortunately, innovative efforts to combat many of these challenges are on the rise, and pharmacists and technicians are playing key roles in them.
This month’s Pharmacy Today cover article highlights some of their stories; for example, that of SEMO Rx Pharmacies in rural Missouri, where pharmacy technicians are trained to serve as community health workers to help local residents navigate the health care system and access medications on a peer-to-peer level. Or the New Mexico-based Project ECHO, which is a unique program that connects rural clinicians to university-based specialists so that patients can receive treatment locally. Through this program clinicians, including pharmacists, present cases to a remote team of specialists to get input on their care and learn how to manage patients in specialty areas. This strategy increases accessibility to care and often also allows for a more culturally appropriate approach to patient care. Programs like these enable a Native American pharmacist employed by the Indian Health Service to advise others on treating Hepatitis C in this underserved patient population.
In this issue of Today, you’ll also find the latest on needle-free epinephrine products, the first-in-class drug-eluting contact lens, self-care treatment of fungal skin infections, potential advantages of newer cell-based influenza vaccines, and a recent FDA warning about dental dangers with buprenorphine. You can also catch up on your continuing pharmacy education credit with this month’s article on the epidemic of substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Time and time again, we are seeing pharmacists lead the charge to develop innovative solutions to health care accessibility challenges in both rural and urban areas. An entrepreneurial and pragmatic mindset, combined with pharmacist’s leadership and clinical expertise, are driving new strategies to overcome patient care obstacles. In many ways, pharmacists are showing that where there’s a will (and a pill), there’s a way! Keep up the good work!
Have a great Today! ■