Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy has opened its first retail pharmacy in Northwest Arkansas following a change in Arkansas law that allows nonprofit hospitals to operate retail pharmacies, according to a July 14 report from CBS affiliate 5NEWS. The pharmacy is open to the public and allows patients to fill prescriptions before leaving campus after a physician visit, surgery or hospital stay.
Mercy Pharmacy Rogers opened after Arkansas lawmakers passed Act 52 in 2025, removing a longstanding prohibition that prevented nonprofit hospitals from holding retail pharmacy permits. Arkansas had been the only state to bar nonprofit, tax-exempt or government-funded hospitals from holding or acquiring interest in retail pharmacy permits, and the measure narrowly failed in a Senate committee vote in January 2025 before ultimately passing.
The pharmacy is integrated with Mercy’s EMR platform, enabling pharmacists and providers to communicate more efficiently about prescriptions and patient care. It also offers immunizations, medication counseling and delivery services.
Mercy plans to open a second retail pharmacy in Fort Smith, Ark., on July 20 and expects to open a specialty pharmacy in Northwest Arkansas later this month, according to 5NEWS.
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