In Friday’s edition of the Democrat, reporter Sean Kuhn broke open a story about a system set in place that is driving costs up (way up – sometimes a 100 percent increase) for pharmacies.

Insurance middlemen are taking a bigger share of prescription payments, forcing pharmacies to eat the cost. This is the kind of thing that puts mom and pop shops out of business, especially in rural areas.

Smaller businesses can’t afford to eat these costs whereas large corporate chains, who are already getting better drug pricing due to bulk ordering, will largely be unaffected. 

Our local pharmacies are more than just drug dispensers – they are points of care, offering counseling, vaccinations, and medication management in communities where primary care providers are scarce.

Sullivan County has consistently ranked on the bottom of New York State county health rankings, going from 60 out of 62 to number 57 last year, the most current data available.

Despite the rise in ranking, underlying health outcomes in Sullivan County reportedly worsened between 2023 and 2024. Key areas identified as needing improvement include mental health and substance abuse services, including the high overdose death rate, chronic disease prevalence and prevention, maternal and child health disparities, particularly in teen pregnancy rates and addressing the impact of poverty and lack of opportunity on health outcomes.

We don’t need more barriers, like cost, to delay or deny people’s access to healthcare. 

In order to receive more funding, the Sullivan County Department of Public Health is asking residents to fill out a survey to identify your health concerns and lead to areas of improvement. 

The survey is anonymous and will be up until the end of July. We encourage everyone to complete the survey. Your feedback will help guide local programs, services and policies to better meet the real health needs of our community. 

To learn more visit www.sullivanny.gov/Departments/Publichealth or call 845-292-5910.