Massachusetts
580,000 in Massachusetts live in ‘pharmacy deserts,’ new report shows – The Boston Globe
Pharmacy shortages can be detrimental to both customers and the broader health system. Pharmacy closures are associated with older adults skipping heart medications and increased use of hospital and emergency department services.
“Without access to this source of care, residents may turn to higher-cost care settings like emergency departments, which further burdens our health care workforce, drives up spending, and leads to worse health outcomes,” David Seltz, executive director of the Health Policy Commission, said in a statement. “It is imperative for the Commonwealth to increase and sustain pharmacy access.”
The loss of nearby pharmacies affects access not only to drugs, but also to primary care. In Massachusetts, where the shortage of primary care providers has become acute, pharmacists can step in to provide some services, including administering vaccines.
Under contracts with prescribers called Collaborative Practice Agreements, pharmacists can answer patients’ questions, order labs, and even adjust medication doses, said Dr. Kaley Hayes, associate director of pharmacoepidemiology at Brown University’s Center for Gerontology and Healthcare Research.
“We are living in a very strained system that is getting more strained by the day, and we are running out of levers to pull to make sure that people still have access to care,” Hayes said. “Pharmacy deserts compound that issue by removing one more health care professional.”
Since 2019, the number of pharmacies in Massachusetts has shrunk by nearly 200, or about 17 percent. Small chain and independent drug stores and pharmacies operating in grocery stores saw the highest proportions of losses.
Some of the hit to independent pharmacies can be blamed on the consolidation of retail pharmacy chains and pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen that negotiate drug costs between insurers and pharmacies, the Health Policy Commission said.
The report pointed to mergers, such as the 2007 combination of CVS and pharmacy benefit manager Caremark, as disadvantaging smaller pharmacies, since Caremark could give CVS preferred prices and steer customers to the large chain.
CVS and Walgreens are also cutting back, as they come under pressure from pharmacy benefit managers to control drug costs and retail profits decline. The number of Massachusetts stores owned by large chains fell to 578 from 630 to over the past year, according to the report.
The Health Policy Commission considered several factors in defining pharmacy deserts. Rural areas were considered a desert if they did not have a pharmacy within five miles. Urban areas were considered a desert if they lacked a pharmacy within one mile. Those distances were halved for areas with below-average vehicle ownership or more than 20 percent of households sitting below the federal poverty level.
Overall, the Health Policy Commission found that pharmacy deserts tended to be in neighborhoods with lower population density and a slightly higher proportion of residents over the age of 65.
New pharmacy deserts are appearing in Massachusetts’ largest cities. Springfield, for example, added six new deserts, while New Bedford added five.
Worcester was able to rid of two pharmacy deserts, but six others appeared after drug stores closed. Boston removed two pharmacy deserts, but five others popped up.
The report is the first by the Health Policy Commission to specifically evaluate pharmacy deserts. The next phase of the research will focus on understanding the factors that contribute to pharmacy closures, said Yue Huang, associate director for the Office of Pharmaceutical Policy and Analysis at the commission.
Huang said that different types of pharmacies face different kinds financial pressures and incentives, which her team is considering as they evaluate ways to combat the creation of deserts.
“It’s important that when we’re thinking about potential policy recommendations, we avoid painting with broad strokes,” Huang said.
Marin Wolf can be reached at marin.wolf@globe.com.
Massachusetts
How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?
With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.
So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?
An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.
Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.
While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.
Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.
“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.
GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.
Massachusetts
Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News
EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.
A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.
The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.
Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.
“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.
They then carried the driver to safety.
Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
No one else was injured in the crash.
Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”
After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”
She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.
“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.
She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.
“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”
Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.
“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”
Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.
“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”
Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.
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Massachusetts
Crews battle fire at Townsend home
A fire broke out Sunday morning in Townsend, Massachusetts.
The Townsend Fire department said shortly before 7 a.m. that firefighters were on scene for a structure fire on Dudley Road.
People have been asked to avoid the area.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office are responding to assist the Townsend Fire Department.
There was no immediate word on any injuries, or any information on what caused the fire. It’s also unclear if the large snow piles in the area impeded access to fire hydrants, as was the case at the house explosion in Taunton last week.
This developing story will be updated when we learn more
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