Mendocino County’s south coast has become a ‘pharmacy desert’

MENDOCINO CO., 2/18/26 — In November 2025, Genoa Healthcare in Gualala, the sole pharmacy along a 60-mile stretch of Mendocino County coast, shut down. Its closure turned the surrounding region into a “pharmacy desert,” where medication access is so limited that some must travel over an hour and a half to fulfill their prescriptions.

Genoa is the fourth pharmacy to close in the past 12 years in Gualala and the neighboring city of Point Arena. The inability of south coast pharmacies to stay open reflects a broader national trend. According to a study in the journal Health Affairs, the U.S. lost nearly 30% of its pharmacies between 2010 and 2021. In 2024 alone, 2,800 pharmacies in the US shuttered their doors.