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SENATE DOCKET, NO. 718 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 858
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Lydia Edwards
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying
resolve:
Resolve relative to pharmacy deserts.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Lydia EdwardsThird Suffolk 1 of 3
SENATE DOCKET, NO. 718 FILED ON: 1/14/2025
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 858
By Ms. Edwards, a petition (accompanied by resolve, Senate, No. 858) of Lydia Edwards that
provisions to assess the supply, distribution and capacity of pharmacy and pharmacological
services. Health Care Financing.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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Resolve relative to pharmacy deserts.
1 Resolved, SECTION 1. (a) The office of health resource planning established in section
222 of chapter 6D of the General Laws, inserted by section 22 of chapter 343 of the Acts of 2024,
3shall conduct a focused assessment on supply, distribution and capacity of pharmacy and
4pharmacological services pursuant to subsection (b) of said section 22. The office, when
5conducting its focused assessment, shall also identify the number of existing and potential
6pharmacy deserts in the commonwealth and conduct an analysis of their impact or potential
7impact on access to pharmacy and pharmacological services for residents located in the
8identified areas. For the purposes of this section, a “pharmacy desert” shall mean an area where
9there is no or limited access to pharmacies due to factors such as: (i) geographic location,
10specifically areas where the nearest pharmacy is more than 1 mile away in urban areas, more
11than 5 miles away in suburban areas and more than 10 miles away in rural areas; (ii) distance and
12travel time, defined as travel time exceeding 15 minutes by car or 30 minutes by public
13transportation; and (iii) limited access to transportation, both public and private, including areas 2 of 3
14with infrequent public transit services or where at least 20 per cent of the population lacks access
15to private vehicles.
16 (b) Not later than September 1, 2026, the office shall present to the board of the health
17policy commission its findings based on the focused assessment conducted under subsection (a)
18and file a report of its findings with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the
19house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on health care financing,
20the center for health information and analysis, the health policy commission and the department
21of public health. In addition to the findings required by paragraph (2) of subsection (b) of section
2222, report of the office shall analyze the impact or potential impact of pharmacy deserts
23identified by the focused assessment, including, but not limited:
24 (i) an assessment on impacted neighborhoods and patient populations;
25 (ii) an assessment on the impact of pharmacy deserts on access to medications and health
26care outcomes;
27 (iii) an assessment of the geographical and financial barriers to obtaining medications
28faced by individuals living in pharmacy deserts;
29 (iv) an assessment of the average distance and travel time to a pharmacy from an
30impacted neighborhood, and the transportation options available;
31 (v) an assessment on the impact of pharmacy deserts on overall health care costs,
32including the costs of emergency department visits and hospitalizations;
33 (vi) an assessment on the impact of pharmacy benefit manager business practices in
34contributing to the closures of pharmacies across the commonwealth; and 3 of 3
35 (vii) policy recommendations to address current pharmacy deserts and limit the creation
36of new ones.