The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association announced that 434 local pharmacies across Illinois have been awarded a combined $24.7 million through the Illinois Pharmacy Support Program.
The Program provides pharmacies with flexible funding to support existing operations and expand access to health care services. Funding may be used to extend pharmacy hours, provide telepharmacy services and remote consultations, and offer medication delivery to help residents overcome barriers to care.
Grants of $56,892 were provided to every eligible pharmacy that applied. Eligible applicants included independent pharmacies with fewer than 10 locations, pharmacies serving rural counties with fewer than 50,000 residents, and pharmacies located in federally designated medically underserved areas or populations. Eligibility also extended to pharmacies serving predominantly Medicaid patients and those located in high-poverty areas where residents must travel significant distances to access pharmacy services.
The grants were awarded to pharmacies in nearly all of Illinois’ 102 counties. Several pharmacies throughout and around the 55th Senate District received funding.
The Illinois Pharmacy Support Program was created to help pharmacies address financial issues that can be too difficult to fund through local revenues alone.