The CPESN Rural Pharmacy Network is designed to strengthen the role of independent community pharmacies in advancing rural health transformation across the country. Rural communities continue to face persistent challenges, including limited access to care, workforce shortages, and disproportionate chronic disease burden. Community pharmacists represent an existing and accessible, “shovel ready” component of the evolving rural health care paradigm. There is no additional cost for CPESN participating pharmacies to affiliate with the Rural Pharmacy Network. 

Pharmacists are often the most consistent point of contact for patients and play a critical role in identifying and addressing issues early—before they escalate into costly or avoidable outcomes. The CPESN Rural Pharmacy Network creates a focused structure to ensure rural pharmacies are better positioned to participate in emerging opportunities while amplifying their collective impact. Expressing that value is especially important as states consider proposals for their share of a $50 billion federal program to strengthen rural communities by improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes.

"I can guarantee that no state fully understands the gaps and opportunities that community pharmacy can fill and support," says Annie Eisenbeis, CPESN Missouri Managing Network Facilitator. Watch this short video in which she discusses how important it is for community pharmacy to have a voice as those funding decisions are made locally and nationally. 

Affiliate Today

Participation in the Rural Pharmacy Network provides pharmacies with strategic advantages, including: 

• Improved positioning for Rural Health Transformation program funding
• Stronger alignment for grants, public agencies, and public awareness initiatives
• Enhanced readiness for value-based care (VBC) contracting
• A more visible, coordinated market presence for rural community pharmacies

Adding Community Health Workers is especially important for rural pharmacies. Watch this short video to learn about an NCPA program program funded by Bristol Myers Squibb to specially train community health workers to provide cardiovascular disease screening in rural communities. 

CPESN Rural Pharmacy Network Requirements 

• Participating CPESN community pharmacy in good standing
• Affiliated with a CPESN USA Primary (local) network
• Meet at least one of the two US Federal Office of Rural Policy definitions for rural - 1) a geolocated census tract match with the pharmacy address; or 2) a zip code tabulation area match, where a census tract match is not possible