South Dakota Pharmacists Association

A Publix Super Markets pharmacy manager retrieves a a medication. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Committee approves bill to lower costs for pharmacies

BY: - February 8, 2023

Over 20 pharmacies have closed across South Dakota since 2018. And over 55% of the state’s counties either lack a pharmacy or only have one. The industry is facing a pharmacy technician shortage, and a looming pharmacist shortage. South Dakota pharmacists believe a bill that would provide more transparency in prescription drug pricing by pharmaceutical […]

Lewis Drug pharmacists Graham Protexter and Sara Hahn prepare prescriptions on Jan. 12, 2023, at a store on South Minnesota Avenue in Sioux Falls. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Pharmacist and technician shortage threatens access to health care

BY: - January 21, 2023

When Jessica Strobl’s 87-year-old grandmother needed to fill an antibiotic prescription last fall, her regular Black Hills area pharmacy was closed. She returned the next day to fill the prescription, but it was closed again. During that time, her infection worsened — enough to send her to the emergency room. While Strobl’s grandmother has since […]