INDIANAPOLIS — The demand for pharmacists continues to climb, but the number of students graduating from pharmacy school is going down each year.
It's a shortage that is leaving customers caught in the middle.
"I don’t know what the solution is, but it's affecting a lot of people," Darryl Cox, an Indianapolis resident, said.
Coxs lives on the south side. On Monday, he went to pick up his wife's prescription from the CVS on South Meridian Street.
"See, a sign on the front door that said it was closed," Cox said.
A spokesperson for CVS released the following statement:
The pharmacy at Store #6654 (8970 S. Meridian Street) had to close unexpectedly yesterday due to a medical emergency involving a colleague. It’s back open today.
Cox says it's not the first time there's been issues.
"Just hours changing. They are severely short staffed, it's part of the problem," he said.
The Indiana Pharmacy Association is one of many that says the shortage of pharmacists is nationwide.
"COVID-19 was a stressful time for health care workers and we saw a lot exit the work force," Darren Covington, Executive Vice President for the Indiana Pharmacy Association, said.
Covington says some pharmacists are taking opportunities outside of the retail space and on top of that, people aren't going to pharmacy school at the same rates.
WRTV checked in with Indiana-based pharmacy schools.
Purdue College of Pharmacy acknowledged the need saying the following:
Application numbers to pharmacy schools are down nationally, resulting in many programs’ inability to fill their classes. However, application numbers at the Purdue College of Pharmacy have remained steady and we have filled our classes each year with a waiting list. This is in large part due to our:
- Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences program which readies prepharmacy students for application to the professional program and prepares others for a variety of careers in pharmacy,
- Reputation as a Top 10 pharmacy program, and elite faculty and admissions team
- University Presidents’ decision to hold tuition costs,
- Science-based decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Butler University would not provide WRTV with numbers.
"That trend is expected to continue for the next few years," Covington said.
Some independent pharmacies aren't having trouble with staffing.
"George’s has been very fortunate. Our employee turn over is very low," Blake Gillman, owner of George's Pharmacy & Medical Equipment, said.
Gillman says what's plaguing the independent stores is not being fully reimbursed by insurance covered prescriptions.
In 2023, 300 independent pharmacies closed and more are expected.
"Patients are going to suffer. When you hear about CVS and Walgreens closing, I worry about what's in this room and they have created a lot of this. We’re fighting and we’re worrying about what we can control," Gillman said.
The reimbursement issue is part of the reason stores like CVS and Walgreens are also closing.
Last year, Walgreens announced it was closing 150 stores, but a spokesperson wouldn't comment on how many of those would be in Indiana. In June, the company said more closures are coming and called it a "significant number."
In the last five years, CVS closed 24 stores in Indiana, nine in Indianapolis.
In a statement a spokesperson said:
We’ve closed 24 CVS Pharmacy stores in Indiana since 2022, and there are no additional closures planned in the immediate future. (For context, we have more than 300 CVS Pharmacy locations in Indiana currently, including pharmacies inside Schnucks and Target.)
As we previously announced, we’re realigning our national retail footprint and reducing store density by roughly 900 stores. The realignment is based on our evaluation of changes in population, consumer buying patterns and future health needs to ensure we have the right kinds of stores in the right locations for consumers and supports the evolution of our stores into community health destinations. When deciding whether to close a specific location, we consider local market dynamics, population shifts, a community’s store density, and other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community. Maintaining access to pharmacy services in underserved communities is also an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions.
"I used to go to the one on the corner of Arlington and Washington and then that store closed," Katie Brooks, who lives in Irvington, said.
Brooks then started picking up her prescriptions down the street at 10th and Arlington. WRTV talked to Brooks back in December and she was seeing issues then.
"I ended up going back four times to get this medication. I went two days without the medication and I really need it to function," Brooks said.
A sign on the door of that store says it's closed on weekends.
In a statement CVS said:
The pharmacy at Store #8643 (N. Arlington Avenue) is closed on Sunday (and has been since last fall). As part of the regular course of business, we periodically review operating hours to make sure we’re open during peak customer demand. From time to time, this may result in a shift in store hours, as was the case with the N. Arlington Avenue pharmacy. By adjusting hours, we ensure our teams are available to serve patients when they’re most needed.
If a pharmacy is closed for any reason, a patient can visit any open CVS Pharmacy location for assistance with their immediate prescription needs.
Brooks says she understands the stress for pharmacists.
"I have friends who are pharmacists and they've quit working there," she said.
The Industry issues are forcing customers to make other other plans.
"Right now, I get it from Costco," Brooks said.
"I take six prescriptions day, my wife takes two to three," Cox said. "The main thing how I felt about it was we tried to communicate with them, we called the store, there's no message stating that it's closed."
