Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Sprenger, Audrey

Area of Concentration

Social Sciences, Health Culture and Societies

Abstract

Prescription drug shortages represent an ongoing public issue that affects access to essential medications and disrupts the broader healthcare system. The causes are varied and complex, involving production challenges, supply chain limitations, economic pressures, and regulatory constraints. While efforts have been made to manage the problem, shortages continue to pose risks to patient care and system stability. This policy proposal explores a range of possible responses aimed at strengthening supply reliability, encouraging domestic capabilities, and improving coordination across key actors and institutions. Through a combination of strategic planning, regulatory adjustments, financial incentives, and targeted reforms, the goal is to create a more resilient framework capable of responding to current challenges and adapting to future needs. At the same time, this analysis is informed by the theoretical contributions of Patricia Hill Collins, whose work emphasizes that systems of power operate across multiple levels, from individual experience to broader social institutions. As Collins explains, domination is structured not only through large systems like healthcare and policy, but also through interconnected social forces such as race, class, and gender that shape access to resources. This understanding reframes prescription drug shortages as more than a technical failure; instead, they can be seen as part of a larger “matrix of dominication” in which institutional decisions and economic priorities can disproportionately impact marginalized populations. Throughout the thesis, several key ideas are introduced to help solve the issue. It explains how building up domestic manufacturing, creating national stockpiles, and simplifying government rules could make drug supplies more reliable. It also suggests giving companies financial support or better payment systems to keep them from stopping production of important medicines. The policy talks about combining efforts from different government agencies and tailoring solutions to different types of drugs, since not all shortages happen for the same reasons. It includes comparisons to strategies used in other countries, outlines possible ways to carry out the plan, and looks at what might happen in the future if these ideas are adopted. Overall, the thesis focuses on being better prepared, acting early, and making smart investments to avoid harmful drug shortages. This approach is also shaped by my own subjective standpoint, which aligns with Patricia Hill Collins’ concept of Black Feminist Standpoint Theory, a tradition that values lived experience as a critical source of knowledge. Collins highlights that individuals experience oppression on multiple levels, including personal biography, cultural context, and institutional structures, and that these experiences influence how people understand and resist inequality. This is in part to humanize the data and to recognize that policy outcomes are not experienced equally across all populations. As a Black coming-of-age young woman, my perspective is shaped by an awareness of how structural inequalities affect access to healthcare and essential resources. By weaving together empirical research and personal standpoint, this thesis reflects Collins’ argument that centering marginalized voices can reveal deeper insights into systemic problems. In doing so, it emphasizes that addressing prescription drug shortages requires not only efficient policy solutions, but also a commitment to equity and a deeper understanding of how power operates within the healthcare system.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

Download

Share

COinS