St. Charles Health System is announcing today plans to open a pilot community pharmacy in Madras in late spring of 2025, helping to fill a critical health need and improving access to prescription medication for the region. Many community organizations came together to open this new pharmacy through funding and support, including Central Oregon Health Council, which provided $460,000 in funding for the project. The new pharmacy will be located at the site of the former Hometown Drug, near downtown Madras and only three blocks from St. Charles Madras.
“Recent pharmacy closures mean Madras has just two pharmacies and they are overwhelmed. Patients are driving outside of the area for services or sometimes going without their needed medications because getting them filled is too challenging,” said Michael Powell, chief pharmacy officer for St. Charles. “We know that when people don’t have access to necessary medications it increases their risk for hospitalizations and other poor health outcomes.”
Pharmacy closures have become commonplace across the United States including in Oregon and Central Oregon, with Oregon ranking second worst in the nation for pharmacy access. By opening this new pharmacy, St. Charles and local community partners aim to prevent Jefferson County from becoming a pharmacy desert, an access issue that disproportionally affects Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods among others.
“Our Mosaic Pharmacy in Madras has been at capacity every day since we opened a few years ago, and we’ve understood for a long time that there is a real need for additional pharmacy services in Jefferson County,” said Megan Haase, FNP and CEO of Mosaic Community Health. “We don’t have the space to expand our current pharmacy to meet the needs of the community and are fully in support of this new partnership to increase access to pharmacy services in Madras. We believe that this project will help lead to better health for all residents of Jefferson County.”
Powell anticipates demand for services at the new pharmacy will be high. Records show that the former Hometown Drug location was filling 10,000 prescriptions per month when it closed.
“We are thrilled to buck the trend and open a new community pharmacy to help provide needed access to our community,” said Dr. Leo Savage, a primary care doctor at St. Charles Madras Family Care who has worked as a physician in the community for 25 years. “Every day I talk with patients who are scrambling to get their prescriptions filled or even going without. This development will have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the lives of our patients.”
Once opened, the pharmacy will fill prescriptions (in store and via a drive-up window) and provide immunizations, medication management, injections for long-term care needs and retail sales for over-the-counter medicine and durable medical equipment (like crutches or walkers).
“I am thrilled St. Charles and our local partners are able to bring this vital service to the communities of Madras, Warm Springs, Culver, Metolius and beyond,” said Todd Shields, Vice President and Hospital Administrator for the Madras and Prineville hospitals. “Together we are helping improve the health of Central Oregonians.”
About St. Charles Health System
St. Charles Health System, Inc., headquartered in Bend, Ore., owns and operates hospital campuses in Bend, Madras, Prineville and Redmond along with primary and specialty care clinics throughout the Central Oregon region. St. Charles is a private, nonprofit Oregon corporation and is the largest employer in Central Oregon with more than 4,900 caregivers. We proudly partner with our local medical community to provide a wide variety of health services.