Since 1935, Beaverton Pharmacy has served as a trusted health hub in the heart of Washington County.

We’re proud to be one of Oregon’s few remaining independent pharmacies, serving not only Beaverton but also nearby communities like Hillsboro, Tigard, Sherwood, Portland and Vancouver. We are a local business where generations of families have turned for their medications, durable medical supplies, health advice and even unique gifts. But community pharmacies in Oregon are in trouble.

More than 200 Oregon pharmacies have shut their doors since 2008, and closures have only accelerated in 2025. What’s behind this alarming trend? It’s not online retailers or chain stores. It’s the unchecked and abusive practices of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. These corporate middlemen have quietly inserted themselves between pharmacies, patients and insurance plans, all while making record profits and squeezing out community care.

At Beaverton Pharmacy, we go the extra mile for our patients. We offer specialized services like medication compounding, safety equipment fitting and chronic care support. We sync prescriptions to reduce trips for patients and work closely with doctors to tailor treatment plans. None of that matters, though, if we can’t stay in business. In 2021, we made the decision to make Beaverton Pharmacy into a compound-only pharmacy to stay in business. PBMs are making it financially impossible for independent pharmacies to survive.

PBMs routinely force community pharmacies into take-it-or-leave-it contracts that reimburse below the cost of the medication. Pharmacies are told to either accept the loss or risk being shut out of major insurance networks entirely. Meanwhile, these same PBMs, often owned by the insurance companies they partner with, steer patients toward their own mail-order or chain pharmacies. They write the rules, enforce the rules and reap the profits. Community pharmacies are often prevented from even advocating for patients or challenging the terms of these contracts. The result is a system that punishes those trying to deliver personalized, local care while rewarding corporate consolidation.

This crisis extends far beyond Beaverton. My wife, Jennifer, and I also own Irby Pharmacy in Vernonia, which is the only community pharmacy for several miles. If that pharmacy closes, an entire region would lose access to care. For patients without reliable transportation, especially seniors or those with chronic conditions, that means long drives, delays in treatment and increased health risks. In fact, between 2021 and 2025, the number of Oregonians living in pharmacy deserts has increased by 56%.

That is why Oregon must act. HB 3212 is a critical part of the solution. This bill would put an end to the practice of reimbursing local pharmacies at rates that don’t even cover our costs. It would stop PBMs from manipulating pharmacy networks to funnel patients into their own affiliated businesses, preserving patient choice. It would also require PBMs to provide basic transparency about how they set drug prices, giving pharmacies a fair chance to challenge inaccurate or unjustified cost benchmarks.

HB 3212 won’t fix everything, but it represents the kind of common-sense reform we need right now to keep the doors of community pharmacies open. If passed, it would help level the playing field so that we can continue to provide the personal, comprehensive and compassionate care that big-box chains simply cannot replicate.

At Beaverton Pharmacy, we’ve stood the test of time. We’ve weathered market shifts, embraced new technologies and adapted to meet the evolving needs of our community to survive a system that is designed to force us out.

Oregon ranks last in the contiguous United States for pharmacy access. That is a disgrace, and it’s a direct result of policies that favor profit over patients. If lawmakers don’t act, more pharmacies will close, and more communities, both urban and rural, will lose one of their most accessible and essential health care providers.

The time to act is now. The Legislature must pass HB 3212 and stand up for Oregon’s patients, caregivers, and communities. Let’s protect pharmacy access and preserve the community-based care that Oregonians have trusted for generations.

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Wade Irby, registered pharmacist, is the pharmacist for Beaverton Pharmacy which he owns and operates alongside his wife, Jennifer. They are also the owners for Irby Pharmacy in Vernonia.