Pharmacy’s Looming Departure to Leave North Amarillo in Dire Need

A well-known pharmacy chain in Amarillo is closing one of its stores.

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We received a message from a listener recently that brought to our attention that CVS is closing a store in Amarillo.  CVS has five stores in Amarillo and including the pharmacy inside Target.

It was announced that CVS would be closing the store at 317 E. Amarillo Blvd.  When I heard that they were closing I called the store and asked to speak to the manager on duty.

I spoke with Sylvia, CVS Store Manager in Training.  I asked her if her store was indeed closing, and she said yes it is closing.  I asked her what was the reason for closing this particular store and she said that it was a corporate decision.

The CVS on Amarillo Blvd will be closing its doors on November 1, 2022.

For those that have prescriptions at this location, all that needs to be done is contact the CVS Pharmacy and have them transferred to another CVS pharmacy of their choosing or another non-CVS pharmacy.

Those employed by this CVS will have the option to move to other stores in the area.

Here's the problem, this particular pharmacy takes government insurance and CVS is the only pharmacy that can fill these prescriptions.  The only other closest CVS to this area is 3 1/2 miles away on Washington.  For some of the current pharmacy customers this isn't an option and closing this particular CVS will be devastating.

I spoke with Timothy Gassaway the President of the North Heights Neighborhood Association.

How will this affect North Amarillo?

It will severely affect the north side of Amarillo I mean, it's not just Amarillo proper, it's everything north of it.  Everybody is going to be affected. Think about Amarillo, you know, north, south, if you will. If you put that dividing line on I-40, it affects a lot of people all the way out to 335 the loop on the east side, and I mean, all the way to Western and beyond on the west side.

How will this affect those with government insurance?

The thing about CVS is CVS has contracts with the federal government and with the state where, Medicare and Medicaid recipients have to pretty much, from what I understand, have to get their medications from CVS.

Can't they just transfer their prescription to another CVS, the closest one being Washington?

A lot of people don't have transportation.

What can we do to try and save CVS?

We hit them until they close the doors because it's still not too late.

Gassaway suggested that everyone should call the CVS Customer Service line and voice their opinions and ask them to reconsider not closing the store.  Their customer service number is 1-800-746-7287 or you can use their contact us form here.

We did reach out to CVS Corporate and asked for a comment about the closure of the Amarillo Blvd. store, but at the time of posting, we have yet to receive a response.

UPDATE October 19, 2022, 2:48 PM:  CVS sent a response to our inquiry about why the store is closing.

We’ve made the difficult decision to close our pharmacy at 317 E. Amarillo Blvd. in Amarillo on November 1. All prescriptions will be transferred to the nearby CVS Pharmacy at 2012 S. Washington St., just over two miles away, to ensure that patients continue to have uninterrupted access to pharmacy care. All store employees are being offered comparable roles within the company.

 

Maintaining access to pharmacy services in underserved communities is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions. Other factors include local market dynamics, population shifts, 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.

 

Following the closure, we will have four CVS Pharmacy locations remaining in Amarillo, including a CVS Pharmacy in Target. Our teams will continue to provide the community with outstanding service at these locations. 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.

However, according to a press release from November 21, 2021, CVS did announce the closures of 300 stores:

CVS Health will reduce store density in certain locations and close approximately 300 stores a year for the next three years. The company is committed to offering impacted colleagues roles in other locations or different opportunities as part of its overall workforce strategy. These changes will begin in the spring of 2022.

Hopefully, CVS will listen and reconsider the store closure.  If not hopefully the City of Amarillo can open up a bus route that will serve those needing to get to a CVS to get prescriptions filled.