FORT SMITH, Ark. — All three Health Depot Pharmacy locations in Fort Smith, Barling, and Greenwood closed last night. Health Depot employees went home jobless, and many customers were surprised to see their medications and prescriptions were transferred to Walgreens with no prior notice.
“I bought a house up here many years ago. And this was where I would come. They've been good to me,” says Shirley Stevenson.
The signs on all of the doors at Health Depot pharmacies state "Pharmacy closed. Your prescription will be available at all Walgreens including your nearest locations." Signs even include a map to Walgreens with the pharmacy hours.
Many customers like Shirley say they did not receive any phone calls or texts about the shutdown. They’re also concerned for the former employees.
“You just kick these people out. You don't tell them anything. All of a sudden, they have no place to work. They have no job. They've got to feed their kids and themselves,” added Stevenson.
Walgreens issued a statement to us stating they are “pleased to welcome patients of Health Depot Pharmacy and offer employment opportunities to eligible Health Depot employees.”
They also stated, “Patients received notice about the transfer through mail and other means to provide details about continued access to their prescriptions.”
But many say there’s a reason why a lot of people prefer local pharmacies to chains.
Chrissy Stallings, a local pharmacist at MediSav says, “We know most of our people by name, of course. And when they come in, we greet them, and we know to go grab their prescriptions and get them out of here quick if they need to, or we will chitchat if they want.”
But oftentimes corporate pharmacies don’t have that luxury.
“Places like Walgreens are sometimes understaffed, and it's tough on those pharmacists and the technicians to give the patients the same care that we do at local pharmacies. We try really hard to staff our pharmacy as well. And that way everyone has time to give people special care,” Stallings adds.
Medisave hopes Health Depot customers can make a smooth adjustment to local pharmacies in the area that need continued support.
They say the transition of Health Depot pharmacy customers could take as long as three months, as some prescriptions are refilled on a 3-month basis.
They add they will be hiring technicians, and other neighboring local pharmacies will also attempt to hire those employees who were let go from Health Depot.
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