U.S.LOCAL NEWS DESK
Cubans Turn to Free Community Pharmacies as Medicines Grow Scarce
Laura Mendoza distributes medications from her Havana apartment building every Thursday and Sunday at noon via a WhatsApp list, offering antihistamines, diuretics and eye drops to dozens seeking treatment.
Watch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock on this story, from The Weekend Shift at 3:52 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Newsmax's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance
- First reported by Newsmax: “Cubans Turn to Free Community Pharmacies as Medicines Grow Scarce”.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, October 11, 2026, at 3:52 PM ET on The Weekend Shift, by Chip Darnell and Vera Bullock.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorNewsmax reports that every Thursday and Sunday at noon, dozens of people gather outside an apartment building in Havana's Vedado neighborhood.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorGather for what, exactly?

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorMedicine.

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorLaura Mendoza comes downstairs, checks names against a list, and hands out what people requested on WhatsApp, like antihistamines, diuretics and eye drops, because medicines are growing scarce in Cuba.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorSo it's a pharmacy on a stoop, run by a clipboard.

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorOur team coverage includes a live map, Vera, and the map is one apartment building with an arrow on it.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorI'll admit the arrow is working.

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorIt's free, it's on time, and it has a list. No other pharmacy in America can say that.

Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorCheck me off that list. I want in.
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