The role of a community pharmacy remains vital when it comes to serving the most vulnerable populations. That rings true, even in places many wouldn’t expect it to be, according to Lindsey Angelotti, one of the owners of Ella Community Pharmacy in Hamilton County.
That operation has two well-established locations in Westfield and Sheridan with young owners who are committed to the long haul. Angelotti owns the pharmacies with her husband, Erik. They took over ownership of Ella Community Pharmacy in 2017.
“If you took both of our pharmacies off the map, I can assure you that Sheridan would be bordering on the official definition of a pharmacy desert,” Lindsey Angelotti said. “In (both) our communities, we attract the patients who have complex medical needs … we provide access to patients that don’t have the resources or means or technology or family members or the support that your average, affluent adult in Hamilton County would take advantage of.”
There have been plenty of pharmacies that have gone away, both within the state of Indiana and across the country. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency reported 1,354 licensed pharmacies in November 2024 and that is down to 1,328 in July 2025.
What’s causing many of these closures? It comes down to money. For many, it’s just not worth keeping the doors open from a financial standpoint anymore.
Plenty in the industry and outside of it point the finger in one direction when it comes to who is to blame – toward PBMs, which is short for Pharmacy Benefit Managers. These companies work, as representatives of the drug plans that hire them, with insurance companies and pharmacies to administer benefits and negotiate drug prices. Issues about how those prices are set – and how much money should return to the pharmacy – are at the heart of the debate.
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