Representative Worrell seeks state study, notice and hearings for pharmacy closures after Roxbury shuttering

BOSTON — Representative Chris Worrell told the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing that the sudden closure of pharmacies in his district illustrated a recurring public‑health problem and urged passage of House Bill 1419 to identify and mitigate "pharmacy deserts."

Worrell described a January closure of a Walgreens on Warren Street in Roxbury that he said left nearly 3,000 patients without a local pharmacy and deprived many of longstanding pharmacist relationships. "People were blindsided," he said. He said the top prescriptions at the closed location were for diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol — conditions that disproportionately affect Black and brown communities.

House Bill 1419, Worrell said, would direct the state to map pharmacy access gaps, require earlier notice for closures (and public hearings when a closure would create a pharmacy desert) and examine the influence of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on pharmacy viability. Worrell noted that a related amendment he proposed in the prior session — requiring 90 days’ notice, a hearing and a statewide assessment — had passed the House but was not enacted into law.

Committee members acknowledged pharmacy closures occur statewide, in both urban and rural areas, and thanked Worrell for advancing notice and assessment approaches. Worrell asked the committee to report the bill out favorably so the state can "shine a light on the role of the PBMs" and propose policy solutions to prevent further closures that cut off access to basic health infrastructure.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing.