CVS and Walgreens strikes leave empty pharmacies
Defection has forced several locations across the country to close temporarily.
The news of some of the biggest pharmacies have dominated the headlines, with Rite Aid declaring bankruptcy This week and confirm plans to close more than 150 stores. Rite AID is not alone in its difficulties, however, because CVS and Walgreens also close stores, which leaves many people with a decrease in access to the necessary drugs. But even the places which are technically still "open" have been forced to close due to striking staff. Read more to find out why CVS and Walgreens pharmacists go out.
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Several pharmacies were forced to close temporarily in the last month.
Pharmacy employees have got out In recent weeks, citing pressure on heavier workloads, decrease in hours and inadequate staff levels, The Guardian reported.
Between September 21 and 22, 12 CVS locations in Kansas City, Missouri, closed their doors due to strikes, the same thing that happens between October 9 and 11 in Walgreens stores in the United States as a Better life previously reported, Walgreens locations were temporarily ornithologist In Arizona, Washington, Massachusetts and Oregon. Currently, it is not clear if and when the additional debraying will be staged.
However, The Guardian Speed up with several pharmacists who have noted continuous stress - and although many have cited the addition of new health services as a point of pain, endowment problems are apparently nothing new.
"It was a problem of several decades, but it was really aggravated and exacerbated from the pandemic," a CVS pharmacist in California said that also asked to remain anonymous due to fears of reprisals. "With these additional services, there were no additional staff to support the services, and there has been a reduction in the endowment - so more work, fewer workers to do it ... they are all the Ingredients of a prescription drug error. "
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Pharmacists' errors can have potentially deadly consequences.
According to The Guardian , errors can be seriously dangerous if patients receive the wrong drug. The exit highlighted a situation earlier this month, when a patient in a CVS in Las Vegas received the incorrect prescription, resulting in the loss of in vitro fertilization. According to data from the National Library of Medicine, 7,000 to 9,000 people in the United States die due to medication errors every year.
In Ohio, in particular, the state pharmacy council found several numbers Attached to the sub-personnel with CVS locations, including missing controlled substances. Despite these situations concerning, CVS reported $ 4.1 billion in profits last year, The Guardian reported.
In a declaration at the point of sale, CVS has expressed its commitment to providing quality health care to patients and communities, noting that the company "works with our pharmacists to respond directly to all the concerns they might have" .
The company continued: "We focused on developing a sustainable and scalable action plan to support both our pharmacists and our customers, which can be implemented on the markets where support can be necessary so that we can continue to provide high quality care. Our patients depend. "
Better life Contacted CVS to comment, and will update the story with his answer.
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Walgreens says that it is a question of listening to the concerns "raised by the staff.
Errors have also been reported to Walgreens. Addressing the Associated Press at the beginning of the month, a Walgreens pharmacy manager who helped Organize debraying Problems cited with staff and workload.
"This has led upset customers," said the organizer anonymously. "This has led to drug errors, to vaccination errors, to needle sticks."
For his part, Walgreens stressed that only a few pharmacies experienced disruption earlier this month and said that he was also determined to work with pharmacists.
"The last years have required an unprecedented effort on the part of the members of our team, and we share their pride in this work - while recognizing that this was a very difficult period," said the company in a previously provided statement has Better life . "We also understand the immense pressures felt in the United States in retail pharmacy at the moment."
The company continued: “We are engaged and listen to the concerns raised by certain members of our team. We are committed to ensuring that our whole pharmacy team has the support and resources necessary to continue to provide the best care for our patients while paying attention to their own well-being. We make significant investments in pharmacists and job bonuses to attract / keep talents. ""
Pharmacists say they just want to do their job safely.
The anonymous pharmacist of California stressed that pharmacists are not asking for more salary or advantages, revealing The Guardian That they need "more staff, so that they can do the work for which they are hired, which is to help patients and maintain security. And for the moment, they cannot do it safely". AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
Shane Jeromski , a pharmacist in California who previously worked at CVS and Walgreens, also told the point of sale that there should be national standards for pharmacy workers and their workloads. (He also started a GoFundme page To support the union organization and as a resource for those who have lost income during debraying.)
"Many technicians and pharmacists are used by these companies by the level of work they must do. They do not ask for more wages. They ask for more aid," said Jeromski The Guardian . "The American public must understand how dangerous it is for them to fill their orders in a dangerous environment, regardless of the quality of our health system in America."
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