Investigate Long Wait Times and Closures at Chain Pharmacies

In these unprecedented times, I ask you to immediately investigate closure decisions by corporate chain pharmacies, leading to long wait times and poor patient care. This directly and urgently impacts the health of my family and me. In the midst of a global pandemic, we don’t need more people in the hospital due to inaccessible medications. Such investigations should be required by law and immediately enforced due to the current high risk to public health. In the last few months, I have experienced extremely long wait times in person and on the phone at a local chain pharmacy. Many have closed or have reduced hours, making it unpredictable and highly difficult to get medicines for myself and/or my loved ones. These medicines are important to maintain our health, or prevent events like a blood clot that could put us in the hospital. Imagine a day without necessary insulin. It is unsafe to go days without needed medicine, and extremely stressful and difficult to hunt around for an open pharmacy and call my doctor to transfer the prescription. The chain pharmacies seem constantly understaffed, often only having 1 or 2 people working behind the counter helping customers, answering phones, working the drive thru, and also giving COVID shots AND tests. This is not sustainable for the pharmacy staff, and THAT puts me and my family’s lives at risk.