CHICAGO, May 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — America is on the verge of a healthcare crisis, with a projected shortage of 80,000 primary care physicians by 2030. EnsembleIQ’s DSN, the voice of retail and community pharmacy for more than 70 years, launches the #FillHealthCareGaps campaign supporting neighborhood community pharmacies and pharmacists.
Kevin Host, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy, Walmart U.S., said, “At Walmart, we have nearly 4,600 pharmacies across the country powered by over 15,000 pharmacists and over 35,000 pharmacy technicians ready to fill healthcare gaps.”
The new campaign is threefold:
- The website, FillHealthCareGaps.com, is populated with DSN articles as well as aggregated web stories that demonstrate pharmacy’s important role in the healthcare system. Pharmacists and patients can share meaningful experiences related to pharmacist-led care here.
- A debut video, which can be seen here, features industry support from CVS Health, Walmart, Kroger Health, National Community Pharmacists Association, Giant Eagle and Ahold Delhaize USA.
- Both pharmacists and patients can interact with the LinkedIn campaign ##FillHealthCareGaps to post professional or personal stories in support of pharmacist-led care.
“Community pharmacy is the single most underutilized asset in our entire healthcare ecosystem,” said John Kenlon, publisher of DSN and senior vice president at EnsembleIQ. “What we need is a grassroots movement—the support of the media, employers, government and the people we serve. If we can do it, we’ll unlock pharmacy’s full potential and deliver expanded healthcare services, better access and affordability for every community.”
The Journal of the American Pharmacists Association says, nine in ten Americans live within five miles of a pharmacy, and patients visit their community pharmacist approximately twice as frequently as they visit primary care physicians. Andrea Brookhart, Director, Population Health & Wellness, Kroger, added, “Our pharmacists led teams provided nine million interventions last year. We are ready to fill healthcare gaps now.”
At Giant Eagle Pharmacy we help fill healthcare gaps by providing vaccines to our communities, filling their prescription needs as well as providing pharmacists’ expertise in all of our neighborhoods,” said Michael Chappell, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy, Giant Eagle.
Moira O’Toole, Vice President of Pharmacy Services, Ahold Delhaize USA, said, “Our local brands Food Lion, Giant Food, Hannaford, Shop & Shop and the Giant Company are uniquely positioned to service pharmacy customers on the East Coast to help support a number of healthcare needs by providing services such as blood pressure monitoring, cholesterol management and glucose control.”
For DSN and #FillHealthCareGaps sponsorship opportunities, click here.
About DSN
DSN is the premier multimedia source of news, analysis, and insights for the retail pharmacy industry, serving over 40,000 professionals for more than seven decades. Published by EnsembleIQ, it covers merchandising, pharmacy developments, and industry trends across chain drug and combination stores.
About EnsembleIQ
EnsembleIQ is the premier resource of actionable insights and connections powering business growth throughout the path to purchase. We help retail, technology, consumer goods, healthcare and hospitality professionals make informed decisions and gain a competitive advantage. EnsembleIQ delivers the most trusted business intelligence from leading industry experts, creative marketing solutions and impactful event experiences that connect best-in-class suppliers and service providers with our vibrant business-building communities. To learn more about EnsembleIQ, visit ensembleiq.com.
Media Contact
Nigel Maynard
DSN
nmaynard@ensembleiq.com
