Opinion
4A
Thursday, October 28, 2021
OUR VIEW
Probing wave
of pharmacy
closures
.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat repre-
senting Oregon, has some questions about
the causes for a wave of pharmacy clo-
sures, most notably those in 56 Bi-Mart stores,
including the stores in Baker City, La Grande,
Pendleton and Hermiston.
The senator is right to ask those questions.
And although the answers he might get likely
won’t resurrect any pharmacies, perhaps Wyden’s
eff orts can stave off future closures, particularly
in rural areas such as Union County where resi-
dents have fewer options for fi lling prescriptions.
Wyden, who is chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee, wrote a letter to Chiquita Brooks-La-
Sure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services, a federal agency. Wyden
cited the Bi-Mart pharmacy closures, noting
that pharmacies across Oregon have reported
as a problem the “direct and indirect remuner-
ation” fees imposed by Medicare Part D plans
and pharmacy benefi t managers — which Wyden
describes as “middlemen.”
“I am deeply concerned that the rise of these
fees has contributed to the permanent closure of
2,200 pharmacies nationwide between December
2017 and December 2020,” Wyden wrote in his
letter to Brooks-LaSure.
The pharmacies are the casualty of a sale
involving the Bi-Mart Corporation and Wal-
greens, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy
chains. Walgreens, as part of the purchase agree-
ment, will buy all of Bi-Mart’s pharmacies. Wal-
greens will operate many of Bi-Mart’s already
existing pharmacies, but not at some stores,
including Baker City and La Grande’s, according
to Don Leber, Bi-Mart president of marketing and
advertising.
Wyden also wrote that these fees “can be
deployed as anti-competitive tactics” by the
pharmacy benefi t managers — companies that
manage prescription drug benefi ts on behalf of
health insurers, Medicare Part D plans and large
employers, among other clients.
Wyden is calling on the Centers for Medi-
care and Medicaid Services to review phar-
macy closures in the U.S. over the past fi ve years,
including the nature and eff ect of PBM payment
practices, and to use the agency’s authority to
regulate their fees.
That’s a good start to addressing a problem
that, if recent trends are any indication, might
continue to worsen in the years ahead.
U
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Supporting children and families
as we return to in-person school
REBECCA
JONES GASTON
OTHER VIEWS
ith children across Oregon
in school full-time for the
fi rst time since the pan-
demic began, they are spending
signifi cant portions of their days
with teachers and other education
professionals.
Educators, who are manda-
tory reporters of child abuse and
neglect, have a unique opportu-
nity to get to know the children
and families they see daily. They
are there to share and experience
a child’s victories, strengths and
challenges as they learn, grow and
interact with friends at school.
As mandatory reporters, when
educators have a reason to believe
a child is experiencing abuse or
neglect, they are required by law to
report that concern to the Oregon
Child Abuse Hotline by calling
855-503-SAFE (7233).
But what should an educator or
other caring adult do when they see
a child and family who is in need
or crisis, but do not believe that a
child is being abused or neglected?
Our data tells us that many
people turn to the Oregon Child
Abuse Hotline when they want to
help but are not sure how.
This year approximately 53,000,
nearly half, of the calls to the
Oregon Child Abuse Hotline were
not reports of suspected abuse or
neglect. These are calls from edu-
cators and other members of our
community who recognize that a
child and family might need assis-
tance because they are struggling
with hunger, housing instability,
job loss, mental or physical health
issues or other stressful situations.
Often these calls come to us
W
because the callers are not sure
where to turn for support.
There are many diff erent
resources and supports available
in our communities to help chil-
dren and families meet their needs.
Sometimes, the best way to support
child and family well-being and
safety is to help them get plugged
in to the resources they need:
• Dial 211 or text your ZIP
code to 898-211 to get connected
to local food, housing, child
care and other supports in your
community.
• Family Access Network advo-
cates are located in schools
and connect families with local
resources: Call 541-693-5675 or
visit FamilyAccessNetwork.org.
• NeighborImpact connects fam-
ilies to food resources, child care
resources, utility and rental assis-
tance: Call 541-504-2155 or visit
NeighborImpact.org.
Mental and behavioral health
supports
• Visit www.foodfi nder.oregon-
foodbank.org.
• NeighborImpact.org/get-help/
get-food also provides resources
for fi nding local food banks.
• Youthline: Call 877-968-8491,
text teen2teen to 839863, chat at
www.oregonyouthline.org.
• LinesForLife.org/get-help-now
provides resource information for
a variety of issues.
• Lines for Life Suicide Lifeline:
Call 800-273-8255 (24/7) or text
273TALK to 839863 (Monday
through Friday, 2-6 p.m.).
• Oregon Behavioral Health
Support Line: Call 800-923-4357
(24/7).
• Military Helpline: Call 888-
457-4838 (24/7) or text MIL1 to
839863 (Monday through Friday,
2-6 p.m.).
• Resources to help educators
provide mental health and social
Government support
• Learn about government pro-
grams and community resources
for older adults and people with
disabilities by contacting the
Aging and Disability Resource
Connection of Oregon at 855-673-
2372 or www.adrcoforegon.org.
• Apply for government food,
cash, child care assistance and
the Oregon Health Plan online at
ONE.Oregon.gov or by calling
800-699-9075.
Of course, when an educator or
other caring adult suspects a child
is experiencing abuse or neglect,
that person should — and may be
required by law to — report that
concern to the Oregon Child Abuse
Hotline by calling 855-503-SAFE
(7233).
We all want children and fami-
lies in Oregon to be healthy, safe and
happy. Child abuse and neglect is
preventable when communities come
together to support children and
families, and there are many organi-
zations, nonprofi ts and people who
can help prevent a family’s crisis
from becoming a child’s safety issue.
———
Rebecca Jones Gaston is the
director of the Child Welfare Divi-
sion of the Oregon Department of
Human Services. Learn more about
its work at oregon.gov/dhs/children.
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