Front Range Pharmacy, a pharmacist-owned independent pharmacy that opened in Englewood in April 2020, is reaffirming its commitment to the patients and families it serves as independent pharmacies in other states close their doors. Recent closures in Michigan and Maryland have drawn attention to the financial pressures facing community pharmacies and to the role these businesses play in neighborhood health.
WCMU Public Media reported on Sept. 8, 2026, that HomeTown Pharmacy was permanently closing four Michigan locations, three in Traverse City and one in Muskegon. According to the report, the company attributed the closures to “financial strain caused by pharmacy benefit manager reimbursement practices.” Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, administer prescription drug benefits and reimburse pharmacies on behalf of health plans, and WCMU noted that these companies have managed about 80 percent of prescriptions filled in the United States, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
In Maryland, a reporting collaboration, Spotlight on Maryland, that includes FOX45 in Baltimore, reported on Sept. 24, 2026, that pharmacist Ken Reed closed his store in the small town of Hancock this summer after 21 years, leaving the town with one remaining pharmacy. The Maryland Pharmacists Association told the outlet that 2 to 3 percent of the state's pharmacies, roughly 30 stores a year, have closed annually in recent years. Pharmacists in the report said reimbursement rates sometimes fail to cover the cost of buying and dispensing medications.
The issue has also drawn attention from lawmakers. KFF Health News reported on Sept. 28, 2026, that limits on PBMs have found support among both Republicans and Democrats and that every state has placed some restrictions on the industry in recent years. Industry representatives quoted in the same report maintained that PBMs work to lower drug costs.
Against that backdrop, Front Range Pharmacy continues to serve patients from its location on South Broadway in Englewood. The pharmacy fills prescriptions for individuals and families, and its staff can coordinate refills so that a household's prescriptions are ready to pick up in a single trip. The pharmacy accepts and bills all major insurers, including Medicare and Medicaid.
Several of the pharmacy's services reflect the individual attention that independent pharmacies are often positioned to provide. Through The Lab at Front Range, its in-house compounding service, pharmacists work with patients and their providers to prepare customized medications, including pediatric formulas, dermatological creams, and pet medications. The pharmacy states that most compounded prescriptions are ready within four business days and can be picked up in store or mailed within Colorado.
The pharmacy's DayPacks medication packaging sorts each patient's daily medications into dated packets for morning, noon, evening, and bedtime, and the team checks in with enrolled patients about prescription changes and refills. Patients within a five-mile driving distance of the store can request same-day delivery when orders are ready by 2 p.m., and deliveries are made by Front Range staff rather than a third-party service. The pharmacy also provides immunizations and serves long-term care settings, including assisted living, memory care, and hospice.
Front Range Pharmacy notes that residents who want to keep a local pharmacy in their neighborhood can support one by filling prescriptions there, transferring existing prescriptions, and bringing medication questions to the pharmacist. Prescription transfers to Front Range can be started through the pharmacy's website.
"When a neighborhood pharmacy closes, people lose more than a place to fill a prescription. They lose a pharmacist who knows their medication history, who notices when something has changed, and who has time to answer a question at the counter," said Michael Scruggs, pharmacist and owner of Front Range Pharmacy. "Front Range was built to be that kind of pharmacy for Englewood, and the plan is to keep showing up for this community for a long time. The simplest way anyone can support a local pharmacy is to use it, ask questions, and let the staff know what would make care easier."
Front Range Pharmacy was established in April 2020 by pharmacist Michael Scruggs and operates as a locally owned business at 3401 S. Broadway, Unit 180, in Englewood, serving patients across the Denver metropolitan area. The pharmacy provides prescription filling and transfers, compounding, DayPacks medication packaging, immunizations, long-term care pharmacy services, and local prescription delivery.
More information is available at Front Range Pharmacy.
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For more information about Front Range Pharmacy, contact the company here:
Front Range Pharmacy
Michael Scruggs
(720) 405-5125
info@frontrangepharmacy.com
3401 S Broadway Unit 180, Englewood, CO 80113
