CVS pharmacy planning to close Little Village store; protest led by Ald. Michael Rodriguez, area residents

CHICAGO (WLS) — Little Village residents are now wondering how they’ll get prescriptions filled with CVS set to close its doors on W. 27th Street by June 7.

22nd Ward Alderman Michael Rodriguez protested Friday outside the store with some of his constituents, saying its personal for him because he grew up in Little Village.

“People in the neighborhood are scared, they’re worried,” Rodriguez said. “One of my classmates worked at this CVS for the last three decades. She’s a union worker and her job is now being sent away.”

CVS said it has offered all employees at the store an opportunity to choose a different location to work, but still, many call this an inconvenience.

“There’s also the matter of just disrupting care when people are forced to change pharmacies,” said Dr. Ann Sheets, with Physicians for National Health. “We want people to have continuity of care.”

Rodriguez said that according to CVS data, roughly 1,800 prescriptions are filled at this pharmacy each week.

For insurance reasons, some residents say they can’t get those filled at the nearby Walgreens, meaning they’d have travel to Cicero to get their medicine.

Nineteen organizations, along with some local elected officials, have signed a letter asking CVS to change its mind.

CVS said it was a difficult decision to close this location, but it’s been in the works since November as it aims to reduce store density, among a number of other market factors.

Full statement from CVS:

We’ve made the difficult decision to close our pharmacy at 2634 S. Pulaski in Chicago on June 7. All prescriptions will be transferred to the CVS Pharmacy at 5524 W. Cermak Road to ensure that patients continue to have uninterrupted access to service. Patients can also choose to fill their prescriptions at any CVS Pharmacy location convenient for them, including our multiple nearby locations easily accessible via public transportation. All store employees have selected the local CVS Pharmacy locations they wish to be transferred to and we’re in the process of implementing those transfers in accordance with their union contracts.

Maintaining access to pharmacy services in historically underserved communities is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions. Other factors include local market dynamics, cultural and language barriers, consumer buying patterns, a community’s store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community, including COVID-19 testing and vaccinations.

We’ll continue to provide Chicagoans with outstanding service at our nearly 70 other CVS Pharmacy locations throughout the city; 15 of which include a MinuteClinic and nine with a CVS HealthHUB, which offer an expanded selection of health and wellness products and services. We also offer prescription home delivery service to eligible patients through CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app to provide additional convenient access to medications.