Oregon Health Authority-Funded Campaign Puts Independent Pharmacies Back on the Map

"Small Pharmacy. Big Care." launches billboards across southern Oregon - and aims to spark a national conversation

PORTLAND, Ore., May 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Most people think of their local pharmacy as the place they pick up prescriptions. But what if that same neighborhood pharmacy could help them quit smoking, manage a chronic condition, stay current on vaccines - and do it all with the kind of personal attention that's disappeared from most of American healthcare?

That's the question driving Small Pharmacy. Big Care. - a two-year public awareness campaign launched by Cascadia Pharmacy Group (CPG), a cooperative of independent pharmacies across the Pacific Northwest, with funding from the Oregon Health Authority and facilitation by Oregon State University College of Pharmacy.

Pharmacists can do more – and in most cases, they already are. The barrier isn't services being offered. It's that too many patients still don't know to ask. That's what we're here to change."

In April, three billboards went up in Corvallis, Lebanon, and Roseburg, Oregon, directing the public to Bigcare.Video - a documentary-style film featuring real pharmacists and real patients. Combined, the boards will generate more than 216,000 impressions per week for 12 weeks.

But the campaign's ambitions don't stop at the Oregon border.

The Problem Is Everywhere
Nearly 19,000 independent community pharmacies operate across the United States, many of them already offering tobacco cessation counseling, immunizations, medication therapy management, and chronic disease support. Most patients have no idea.

"The challenge isn't capability. It's visibility," said Jeff Harrell, PharmD, CEO of Cascadia Pharmacy Group. "People simply don't know what their local pharmacy can do for them. This campaign is our attempt to change that. The industry has done the hard work – legislative wins, clinical programs, provider status and billing capabilities. The missing piece is patient awareness to the changing nature of pharmacy."

The Small Pharmacy. Big Care. campaign was built in two phases: Phase 1 produced Beyond Prescriptions - a documentary filmed at three CPG member pharmacies in southern Oregon and at OSU College of Pharmacy, and also includes an interview with Douglas Hoey, Pharmacist & CEO of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).

Phase 2 - now underway - amplifies that film through billboards, geo-targeted digital advertising, in-store materials promoting a free tobacco cessation program, and national press outreach running April through July 2026. Everything drives to one address: Bigcare.Video.

Oregon's Story, America's Moment
Oregon Health Authority funded this campaign to address healthcare access gaps in the state, particularly tobacco use and access to care burdens. But the problem it confronts is national. Independent pharmacies serve as the most accessible point of healthcare contact in rural communities across the country, yet most patients still don't know to ask what services are available.

The timing couldn't be better. In March 2026, NCPA launched a multi-million-dollar national ad campaign airing on CNN, Fox News, HGTV, and other major networks, urging Americans to rediscover their local, family-owned pharmacy. Small Pharmacy. Big Care. shares that mission - and adds a clinical dimension, showing audiences not just that independent pharmacies feel different, but that they do more.

"We see our work in Oregon as a proof of concept," said Harrell. "If a regional cooperative can shift awareness with a focused campaign, other states and national organizations can do this too. We want to be a model."

CPG is making Beyond Prescriptions available as a shared resource for any independent pharmacy, cooperative, or advocacy organization that wants to use it.

Watch the Documentary: Bigcare.Video
Learn More: https://www.cascadiapharmacygroup.com/advocacy/
Sign Up For Tobacco Cessation Service in Oregon: https://www.cascadiapharmacygroup.com/tobacco-cessation/
NCPA National Campaign Resources: adcampaign.ncpa.org

About Cascadia Pharmacy Group Cascadia Pharmacy Group is a cooperative of independent pharmacies serving communities across Oregon, Washington, Idaho & Northern California. Affiliate pharmacies flex their collective numbers to access benefits that would be out of reach on their own, including group purchasing negotiations, centralized services, a group benefits package, collaboration across a regional network, and affiliation with national pharmacy associations. The result is a stronger, more sustainable independent pharmacy, one that can focus on what it does best: delivering personalized care to the neighbors it serves.

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SOURCE Cascadia Pharmacy Group