Say Something Real
By Michelle Bryant
Clinic Closing Leaves Real Void
Michelle Bryant
It seems like the hits keep coming. Whether it’s medical clinics, hospitals or even pharmacies, Black communities are reeling from the ever dwindling healthcare resources and providers. In Milwaukee, the option of a 24-hour pharmacy is quickly becoming a relic of the past. Reduced hours, staffing shortages, and store closures make getting a prescription filled after 4pm feel nearly impossible. However, city residents are not alone in feeling the squeeze in medical options.
Last year, The Washington Post reported that Walgreens, CVS, and Rite-Aid were planning to close more than 1,500 stores. Black, brown, rural, and low-income neighborhoods have been hit fast and hard. As these communities struggle to deal with a shrinking pharmacy landscape, medical deserts are forming all around them. The reasons for these closings are complex and painfully artless, at the same time.
CVS, in a statement, said that locations were chosen based on “local market dynamics, population shifts, a community’s store density, and other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community.” Companies have said that theft or “retail shrinkage” has been a significant driver in the decision to close or abandon these locations. Conversely, I appreciated an acknowledgement from Walgreens’ Chief Financial Officer James Kehoe that claims of retail theft were over exaggerated in some store closings. It is of little comfort though, when the results are the same: fewer means to access health services and care.
Our predicament is compounded by the loss of hospitals, health serving agencies, and area clinics, like the Next Door Pediatric Clinic on Milwaukee’s north side. Since the announcement in October 2023, that Children’s Wisconsin was planning to shutter the site, local organizations like Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) and area health care activists have sprung into action. They have worked to call attention to the plight of the estimated 2000, impacted patients and their families.
It should not be lost, that while, Children’s Wisconsin has informed the community of additional locations, including Midtown Pediatrics, Good Hope Pediatrics or River Glen Pediatrics, there will be patients that will struggle. Whether increased transport time, shortage of staff to absorb patients, increased risk for time-sensitive conditions, or longer appointment wait times, the impacts are real. The clinic also provided dental, mental health, and ancillary resources that contribute to one’s overall health.
Ideally, this healthcare would be provided nearest to where healthcare is needed. This is simply not the case for many Black residents, regardless of socioeconomic status. Often, I find myself driving to neighboring suburban communities to access emergency care, hospitals, and even some of my doctors. During those rides, I frequently question this trend. Cue Deion Sanders “Must Be the Money,” but that’s a conversation for another day.
Right now, it is imperative that we figure out what’s possible for the old Next Door Pediatric site and so many of the closed pharmacies. I imagine neighbors would like to see a similar use and resumed access to quality health care. We must stop the drought of inconvenient options and medical deserts that we continue to expand with every neighborhood clinic that closes.