Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens have signaled plans to shutter more than 1,500 stores in the past two years, and public health experts say there’s already been fallout.
Rite Aid, which filed for bankruptcy last week, is poised to shrink its retail footprint as it grapples with falling sales, mounting debt and a slew of lawsuits tied to the opioid epidemic. After decades of expansion, the nation’s largest drugstore chains are closing hundreds of stores as they reorient their operations against rising competition, a crush of opioid lawsuits and other forces — relegating many already-vulnerable communities into pharmacy deserts.
And moving more merchandise behind plexiglass barriers to discourage theft and violence has lent a dystopian feel to some locations. Front-of-store sales at Rite Aid fell 4.4 percent in the latest quarter. CVS saw a nearly 2 percent sales decline. which acquired the insurer in 2018. Blue Cross Blue Shield clients have a similar setup with Walgreens. Rite Aid, has no such relationship with an insurer.
Public health experts are concerned this redistribution could worsen long-standing racial and economic disparities in health care outcomes, too. It’s what Edwards calls the “urban health penalty.”“This has been going on historically, and that pretty much just exacerbates preexisting health disparities,” she said. “It interrupts care and interrupts all the access to medical advice, access to vaccines, access to food, access to staples.
As part of its bankruptcy court-supervised store closures, the company that it has “conducted additional research to help ensure we do not create pharmacy deserts in the communities we serve.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Rite Aid will continue to keep medications that contain phenylephrine on shelves, CVS will no longerRite Aid will continue to keep products with phenylephrine on their shelves, at least for now, a spokesperson tells ABC.
Read more »
Rite Aid Files for Bankruptcy, the Latest in a Growing TrendSo far this year, companies filing for bankruptcy are twice that of 2022, and a hair short of pandemic 2020. The biggest group of filers:...
Read more »
31 stores in California on Rite Aid closure listAt least 10 stores are in Los Angeles County; another six are in Orange County and just two are in the Inland Empire.
Read more »
Where things stand with military aid for Israel, humanitarian aid for Gaza as bombings continueIsrael and Egypt agreed to allow around 20 trucks into Gaza to deliver aid to civilians, but so far none have been able to pass. And in a rare Oval Office address to the nation Thursday night, President Biden called on Americans to stand behind Israel and Ukraine, calling aid for both countries 'a smart investment.
Read more »
Sen. Blackburn concerned over Biden supplemental request to aid Gaza after Hamas reportedly stole aidSen. Marsha Blackburn is concerned Biden's supplemental request, including aid for Gaza, might fund terrorism; citing reports of Hamas intercepting aid meant for civilians.
Read more »
UN aid chief says second aid convoy for Gaza could lead to sustained reliefThe United Nations is hoping a second convoy of trucks will be sent into Gaza on Sunday under a light inspection system that will allow relief deliveries to scale up into next week, its humanitarian chief said.
Read more »