Pharmacists aren’t pill counters. They’re your last line of defense.

Medication errors cause between 7,000 and 9,000 deaths each year in the U.S. Your pharmacist plays a critical role in protecting you from becoming part of that statistic.

Pharmacists don’t just provide the final safety check at the pharmacy counter – they verify doses, provide guidance on taking and administering meds, screen for interactions and allergies, and answer all manner of health-related questions. Millions of people — including one in three Americans who do not have a primary healthcare provider — depend on pharmacists to bridge gaps in healthcare access.

This makes the rapid rate of pharmacy closures and widespread burnout so alarming. Across the country, pharmacies are disappearing — fast.

Since 2010, nearly one in three U.S. pharmacies have closed. In rural and underserved urban areas, people are driving nearly an hour or more just to fill a prescription. This shortage translates to longer wait times, overwhelmed staff, and lives put at risk.

Our in-depth reporting on the pharmacy crisis is exposing the causes and consequences of these closures — from corporate middlemen driving small pharmacies out of business to dangerous burnout behind the counter.

But to keep the pressure on, we need your help.

How Your Support Helps:

Donor support makes MedShadow’s work possible across all our content areas, including investigative reporting, webinars, resource guides, newsletters, social media posts and more.

MedShadow’s Work Includes:

• Raising public awareness about pharmacy access, closures, and medication safety. This allows people to make their voices heard about impacts to their families and communities.
• Investigating the causes and consequences of pharmacy deserts and pharmacist burnout. Better working conditions, fairer policies, and safer systems should be prioritized now more than ever.
• Engaging pharmacy professionals. Partnering with MedShadow can amplify their stories, foster cooperation, and advance real solutions.

MedShadow is a non-profit that advocates for improved drug safety for all. We produce high-quality, independent journalism to help people make smart decisions about their health. No one at MedShadow — not staff, writers, or partners — ever receives financial support from the pharmaceutical or supplement industries. This commitment ensures the integrity and independence of our reporting and analysis.

Community pharmacies are an essential healthcare touchpoint in many neighborhoods. Thank you in advance for choosing to support MedShadow’s mission so that we can work to help people make safer, better-informed decisions about their medications.