Easton’s South Side has regained access to pharmacy services after more than 10 months without one. Valley Health Partners opened a new pharmacy at its health center at 440 W. Lincoln St., offering affordable prescriptions to residents following the closure of the CVS at 620 Old Philadelphia Road in March.
Pharmacy Closure Trend
The opening comes amid a broader crisis across the nation. From 2020 to November 2025, about 1,100 pharmacies in Pennsylvania went out of business, according to Spotlight PA, with nearly half operated by Rite Aid before the chain closed all stores in November. Pharmacy benefits managers, third-party companies that mediate prescription drug costs among manufacturers, wholesalers, pharmacies, and insurers, are cited as a major factor behind these closures. The CEO of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association notes that the state now has “an increasing number of pharmacy deserts, entire census tracts where there are not pharmacies present.”
New Model of Care
Valley Health Partners’ pharmacy is part of a growing trend where federally qualified health center look-alikes expand into the public-facing pharmacy business. These organizations receive Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements and certain federal program discounts unavailable to for-profit pharmacies. The health system offers free home delivery to patients and a subsidy plan allowing customers to purchase medications at reduced cost, with some paying nothing at all. Valley Health Partners also operates an additional pharmacy at its Allentown center at 400 N. 17th St., though that location serves only its patients.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.mcall.com/2026/01/18/eastons-south-side-has-a-new-community-pharmacy-why-that-matters/