The Jackrabbit Pharmacy in the Miller Wellness Center closed on August 20, 2024, leaving students to find community alternatives for their drug prescriptions.
An email from the vice president for Student Affairs released the announcement to all students on July 22, 2024.
The email states “This was not an easy decision, but we believe it is the best decision for our students and the university.” Also highlighting, “The low utilization of the Jackrabbit Pharmacy by students over several years.”
Shari Landmark, the SDSU chief wellness officer, believes the closure of the pharmacy is overall a good decision.
“In the last five years, numbers have been going down,” said Landmark. “We found the hours, from 9-to-5, weren’t convenient for the students that have class at that time or are working.”
Landmark shared that from 2021-2024, the Jackrabbit Pharmacy had 75.6% of their prescriptions as a one-time usage with no refills.
The pharmacy also didn’t carry most of the medications that students were looking for.
“Many of the meds’ students are on, are class three medications, which are for anxiety and depression,” said Landmark. “We didn’t carry those unless we had two pharmacists working, and we didn’t have the flow here to validate having two at a time.”
Ava Boeve, an SDSU senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies from Brookings, is sad to see the pharmacy close.
“I’m sad the pharmacy is closing. It was such a great resource for students,” said Boeve. “I used it when I lived on campus my first two years. The staff was always friendly and helpful.”
Landmark does want to reassure that students at SDSU are still being taken care of.
“If a student and a provider in the health clinic says you have an illness, and the student doesn’t have a vehicle, we are more than willing to find transportation for that student to whichever pharmacy they need to go to here in Brookings,” said Landmark.
Right now, the plan for the space of the closed Jackrabbit Pharmacy is unknown.
Landmark expects the Wellness Center to use the area to create more office space for counselors being hired and to bring administrative offices closer up front with the rest of the offices in the Wellness Center.
SDSU Students’ Association President, Trinity Peterson, is hopeful for the future of the space.
“Although the pharmacy closure may have created temporary inconveniences for students,” said Peterson. “I am excited to see the space be reallocated to better serve student needs.”
The Miller Wellness Center is also working to keep vending machines in their current location, which offer cold medicine and other pharmaceutical products students may need. The same products are offered at the C-Store in Hansen Hall as well.