Addressing Health-Related Social Needs Through Community Pharmacy

Community pharmacies have long been essential fixtures in neighborhoods, providing medications, counseling, immunizations, and other health services. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted their growing importance, showing that pharmacies can also connect patients with broader community resources.

Health-related social needs (HRSNs), such as food insecurity, housing instability, and transportation barriers, significantly impact health outcomes. Community pharmacies present a unique opportunity to integrate HRSN screening and referral services. A recent study suggests that embedding community health workers (CHWs) within pharmacies enhances patient engagement and referral uptake.¹ Cross-training CHWs to address HRSNs has proven effective and financially sustainable, with programs successfully engaging participants in both urban and rural settings and achieving high referral resolution rates.

Many pharmacies can act as referral hubs for services such as food assistance, housing support, and other community-based programs. This formalizes a role that has existed informally for decades, linking patients to social services that address barriers affecting their health. Integrating these programs requires time, training, and leadership support. When resources are provided, pharmacies successfully adopt and sustain new initiatives, optimizing patient interactions and downstream outcomes.

This shift begins with a mindset change. Pharmacies that see themselves as evolving health care providers are more willing to adapt workflows, implement appointment-based models, and collaborate with partners. With appropriate support and reimbursement mechanisms, integrating HRSN programs into pharmacy workflow represents a viable and scalable approach.

By combining clinical care with community linkages, pharmacies strengthen their role as public health partners. This approach improves patient outcomes, addresses social determinants of health, and helps build healthier, more resilient communities.

Drug Topics® recently sat down with Christopher Daly, PharmD, MBA, BCACP, clinical associate professor at the University at Buffalo, and David Jacobs, PharmD, PhD, associate professor at the University at Buffalo, who were authors on the study, to discuss the role community pharmacies play in identifying and addressing HRSN, and how pharmacies can integrate HRSN screening into their current workflow without disrupting daily operations.

READ MORE: Public Health Resource Center

Are you ready to elevate your pharmacy practice? Sign up today for our free Drug Topics newsletter and get the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips straight to your inbox.

References

1. Daly CJ, Iqbal DN, Chen E, et al. Implementing a Community Health Worker Model to Address Health-Related Social Needs in a Community Pharmacy Network: A Pragmatic Evaluation. 2025. J Am Pharm Assoc. DOI:10.1016/j.japh.2025.102490