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Healthcare Illustration
In cities across the country, pharmacies have long served as more than just places to pick up prescriptions. They have been some of the most accessible touch points in the healthcare system—offering flu shots, health screenings and trusted advice steps from home.
But as national chains scale back operations, the role of independent pharmacies has grown more urgent. Since 2023, eight Walgreens locations have closed across Milwaukee, deepening pharmacy deserts and leaving many residents without nearby access to care.
In response, Hayat Pharmacy is expanding. Its newest location at 1238 S. Chavez Drive on the city’s South Side is part of a mission that Hayat’s president, Tamir Kaloti, said has guided the company from the beginning.
“This has been the mission of our pharmacy since day one,” said Kaloti. “Our mission has been to take care of underserved areas of our community.”
Strategic Locations
That mission began in 2011, when founder Hashim Zaibak opened Hayat’s first location at the intersection of North 37th Street and West Wisconsin Avenue. Over the years, the pharmacy has grown to 20 locations—each one strategically placed in neighborhoods where access to pharmacies is limited.
Despite this growth, pharmacy deserts in Milwaukee remain persistent. A University of Southern California study published in 2021 ranked the city among the worst in the country for pharmacy access, with closures disproportionately affecting predominantly Black and Latino communities.
“I have seen many people that have recently come—and even a few years ago—start coming to Hayat as their pharmacies on the North side started going,” said Mara Ahmad, a community care nurse supervisor at Hayat.
Major Chains Scale Back
The Walgreens closures are part of a three-year initiative by the company to reduce costs amid financial challenges. Other corporations are also scaling back, including CVS which closed three locations in Milwaukee this year with plans to close 270 stores nationwide.
For residents like Dan Schley, the impact of these closures in the city further highlight Hayat’s commitment to the community.
“They’re very intentional about finding those parts of our community that need representation,” Schley said. “They’re taking care of us.”
Schley also shared that healthcare professionals at Hayat went above and beyond to make sure his medications were affordable—something he said larger corporations often don’t have the time or flexibility to do. And resident Tasha Brown echoed that sentiment.
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Brown worked as a pharmacy technician at both Walgreens and Hayat and said her journey into healthcare began when she noticed recurring issues with prescription fulfillment at her Walgreens location. That experience sparked a deeper interest in medicine and helping others.
But it wasn’t until she joined Hayat in 2016 that she felt truly connected to the work. “We were family,” Brown said. “And with CVS and Walgreens shutting down, it’s just amazing that they are still able to stand as an independent pharmacy.”
Sense of Connection
That sense of connection and community is exactly what pharmacies are meant to foster, said Maria Pino, Associate Professor at New York Institute and Technology and pharmacy expert. She emphasized that pharmacists are often the first line of contact in healthcare, especially for non-native English speakers to ask questions in their own language.
But when pharmacies shut down, she said it can have major consequences for patients living in that particular area. “If you get a lot of closures, sometimes patients are not mobile enough to go to other areas,” Pino said. “They have to take buses or commute and if that happens, patients are not going to seek out care and that is a problem.”
Without accessible pharmacies, Pino added that patients may miss critical guidance on how to take their medications, which can worsen chronic conditions and delay treatment.
That concern was central to Hayat’s newest location, which will offer free home delivery, along with simple medication packaging and walk-in vaccines. Additionally, the new location will have bilingual pharmacists and care teams, as well as Spanish-language materials. Patients will also have access to a durable medical equipment specialist who provides in-home visits.
For Kaloti, the moment feels deeply personal.
“I feel a sense of trust and responsibility to the people that look to us to take care of part of their healthcare needs,” he said. “We don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
As pharmacy closures continue to reshape Milwaukee’s healthcare landscape, Hayat Pharmacy has responded to the increase in foot traffic by hiring new staff and planning further expansion. A new location is already in the works near Farwell Avenue and Brady Street, Kaloti said.
As for the Cesar Chavez Drive location, the opening date is to be determined. “We tried to think first of what is needed in the community and then we try to find a way to make it sustainable,” Kaloti said.
