EnsembleIQ’s DSN Launches Campaign to Highlight Retail Pharmacies’ Role in Addressing Primary Care Shortage
Event summary
- EnsembleIQ’s DSN launched the #FillHealthCareGaps campaign on May 19, 2026, to support retail pharmacies in addressing a projected shortage of 80,000 primary care physicians by 2030.
- The campaign includes a website (FillHealthCareGaps.com), a debut video featuring industry support, and a LinkedIn campaign for sharing stories about pharmacist-led care.
- DSN, a trusted source in the community pharmacy space for over 70 years, aims to unlock pharmacy's full potential by delivering expanded healthcare services and better access.
- Nine in ten Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, and patients visit community pharmacists twice as frequently as primary care physicians.
The big picture
The campaign comes as the U.S. faces a critical shortage of primary care physicians, with retail pharmacies positioned as a key resource due to their accessibility and frequency of patient visits. DSN's initiative underscores the strategic shift towards leveraging pharmacists to address healthcare gaps, aligning with broader industry trends toward decentralized and community-based care models.
What we're watching
- Industry Collaboration
- How the collaboration between DSN and major retail pharmacy players will affect the campaign's reach and impact.
- Regulatory Support
- Whether government and media support will materialize to bolster the grassroots movement behind pharmacist-led care.
- Service Expansion
- The pace at which retail pharmacies will expand their healthcare services to fill primary care gaps.