Author(s)
Jenna Goins PharmD (faculty)1
Bupendra K Shah MS PhD (faculty)1
Affiliation(s)
1 College of Pharmacy, Touro University New York, New York, NY;
Abstract:
In the United States, the designations Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) are used by public health agencies and governments to identify geographic areas and population groups that are experiencing shortage of health professionals, services, and poor outcomes. Despite the critical and expanded role of pharmacists in the last decade, little is known about how pharmacists and pharmacy availability align with these designations. This study seeks to examine how pharmacist and pharmacy availability in New York corresponds with the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) designations of MUAs and HPSAs, with the goal of understanding access to pharmacies and pharmacist care services in New York.
Using a secondary analysis research design, publicly available databases will be utilized to obtain data on the number of licensed pharmacists and pharmacies, the population density, and HRSA designation of counties (Medically Underserved Areas, Index of Medical Underservice [IMU], Health Professional Shortage Areas, and rurality) in tNew York State. County wise population data was obtained using the United States Census Bureau website, whereas county wise pharmacist and pharmacy data were obtained from the New York State Education Department website. All licensed pharmacies and pharmacists recognized by the New York State Office of the Professions regardless of the nature of the practice site were included in the analysis. The HRSA database on MUA and HPSA was used to identify the HPSA and IMU scores that lead to the HPSA and MUA designations, as well as rurality classification for all areas within New York State. Assumptions about the accuracy of HRSA reporting were made. Data obtained was systematically entered into an excel sheet and was then used for the descriptive and bivariate analysis.
A critical examination of the relationship between pharmacists and pharmacies and HRSA designations can potentially help public health agencies and policy makers rethink the HRSA designations and recognize the role pharmacists and pharmacies can play in addressing shortages and make medical care accessible.