Hartford

Community hopes Hartford pharmacy can avoid closure

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After the announcement that two CVS pharmacies in Hartford will close in the coming weeks, people who rely on them are trying to figure out what they will do to get their prescriptions.

There are calls to save a key pharmacy from closing in Hartford.

Neighbors say it fills a vital need in the downtown area.

“I was shocked” Benjamin Crump, of Manchester, said. “I'm kind of upset, but what can we do?”

Customers of the CVS on Main Street in Hartford found out it plans to close on March 11 and now, they're left scrambling to find a new pharmacy.

“I'm going to have to take a bus and then try to make sure I'm able to get out of work on time to go get medication somewhere else,” Heidi Lopez, of Hartford, said.

In a statement, CVS pointed out it has more than 40 locations in Hartford County and wrote in part:

“Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions.”

“I've got to find an alternative. I don't know what it's going to be yet, but I’ll figure something out,” Crump said.

Amid concerns about downtown progress, there are signs of success with hundreds living in apartments above the CVS and a next-door coffee shop celebrating its year anniversary.

“I view the possible closure of our CVS to be a threat that needs to be reversed,” said Bruce Becker of Becker + Becker, the owner of the building which includes CVS.

“[It] serves important community needs for downtown residents and helps promote a high-quality walkable downtown environment,” Becker continued.

The Connecticut Pharmacists Association said the state is losing stores amid challenges with reimbursements to workforce issues.

It said rural parts are being hit hard in the process creating so-called pharmacy deserts.

“But you cannot forget that places like Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven that have very dense populations, they're losing pharmacies in some of their most vulnerable communities,” Nathan Tinker, CEO of Connecticut Pharmacists Association, said.

The association said some of the pharmacy issues could be addressed by bills being worked on now by the legislature.

CVS plans to close another store in Hartford next month on Wethersfield Avenue.

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