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Encore: The challenges facing Vermont's independent pharmacies

This hour, we'll talk to independent pharmacists around Vermont about the challenges facing their industry and the role they play in their communities.
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This hour, we'll talk to independent pharmacists around Vermont about the challenges facing their industry and the role they play in their communities.

Independent pharmacies are under serious financial strain, particularly in rural areas. What is lost when an independent pharmacy closes down?

This hour, we'll listen back to a rebroadcast with local pharmacists about the joys of their work. We'll also look into specific challenges their businesses currently face, including competition from national chains, shrinking prescription reimbursements and stressors caused by the opioid epidemic.

Broadcast at noon and 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 21, 2023; originally broadcast live on May 15, 2023.

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Andrea Laurion joined Vermont Public as a news producer for Vermont Edition in December 2022. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pa., and a graduate of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. Before getting into audio, Andrea worked as an obituary writer, a lunch lady, a wedding photographer assistant, a children’s birthday party hostess, a haunted house actor, and an admin assistant many times over.