Objectives. We sought to determine the role of three neighborhood characteristics (median income, crime, and racial/ethnic composition) on the accessibility and price of four commonly prescribed diabetes medications in the city of Flint, Michigan.Methods. Using 2009-2013 American Community Survey Data, Census block group data was used to identify geographic areas with similar population sizes. A 1-mile radius from the center of each block group selected was used to identify pharmacies. A total of (n = 35) pharmacies were identified using ReferenceUSA data. The identified pharmacies were telephoned and asked the out of pocket costs for a 30 and 90-day supply of four diabetes medications.Results: With regard to pharmacy accessibility, we found that a majority of the pharmacies included in the study (82%) were located in Census Block Groups with a higher median income (≥ $20,000), while only 36.4% of all pharmacies studied were located in predominantly African-American neighborhoods. Additionally, we found that pharmaceutical prices may also be adversely affected by neighborhood characteristics, with 80% of the higher priced independent pharmacies (Gellad, Choudhry, Friedberg, Brookhart, Haas & Shrank, 2009) found in block groups reporting higher crime figures.Conclusions: This study offers new data to suggest that diabetic residents living in low income, high crime, predominantly African-American neighborhoods may experience greater difficulty with pharmacy accessibility, and also may pay more for their medications once they have located a pharmacy in their neighborhood.
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