Drugstore pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS are struggling to stay afloat. Next month, a total of eight Walgreens locations will close indefinitely as part of the company’s "footprint optimization program.” Meanwhile, CVS is on track to close 300 stores by the end of the year—that will make for a total of 900 closures since spring 2022. So far, in 2024, CVS has shut down numerous distribution centers, consolidated its partnership with Target, and let go of several MinuteClinic locations. In the weeks leading up to 2025, CVS has additional plans in store. See if your neighborhood CVS will be impacted here.
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CVS will no longer operate MinuteClinics in Utah.
CVS is taking drastic measures to reduce its footprint in Utah. As of Dec. 7, the chain has permanently closed all of its MinuteClinic locations in the Beehive State, reports The Salt Lake Tribune. This includes the MinuteClinics located in Highland, Ogden, and West Jordan.
MinuteClinics are staffed by nurses and physician assistants who provide vaccines, COVID-19 tests, sports physicals, STD testing, and health screenings for things like blood pressure monitoring. They operate autonomously from the store’s pharmacy department
“We regularly evaluate MinuteClinic’s footprint to ensure it meets the demands of our patients and aligns with our health care delivery strategy,” CVS said in a statement to The Tribune. “As a result, we made the difficult decision to close our three MinuteClinic locations in Utah by December 7 to help support future growth and design in the next evolution of community health destinations."
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One store is closing in Plainfield, Illinois.
A southwest suburb of Chicago will be one CVS short beginning Dec. 17. The pharmacy at 11840 S. Route 59 will shutter its doors for good next Tuesday, reports Plainfield Patch. Only two CVS locations remain in the area. CVS spokesperson Amy Thubault said it comes down to having “the right kinds of stores and the right number of stores in the right locations."
"Store closure decisions are based on several factors, including population shifts, consumer buying patterns, store and pharmacy density, pharmacy care access, and community health needs," she told the town publication.
Two East Coast locations are closing.
Washington D.C. and Maryland have also been impacted by the recent wave of CVS Pharmacy closures. The location between 19th and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, near George Washington University, will close sometime this month, according to the local blog PoPville.
And if you travel 23 miles northeast, you’ll find the CVS store located inside the Bowie Plaza shopping center is also gone. They went out of business earlier this month. Prescription records and fulfillment requests will be moved to another neighborhood CVS Pharmacy at 6001 High Bridge Road.
