The Insulin Desert — Pharmacy Access Collapse

Year Toggle

Showing 2019 — pre-closure baseline

Layers

Access Tier

Adequate (under 10 min)

Marginal (10–20 min)

Poor (20–30 min)

Desert (30+ min)

Open pharmacy

Closed pharmacy

Single-point-of-failure

About

CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid have collectively closed thousands of locations since 2019. For insulin-dependent diabetics and patients on critical medications, a closure can be a medical emergency.

This project models pharmacy access using drive-time analysis, identifies medication deserts created by closures, and maps vulnerability using diabetes prevalence, elderly population, and vehicle ownership data.