JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three Jacksonville councilmembers met Monday evening to address pharmacy closures on the Northside after residents reported waiting days, and even weeks, to get critical medications.
Over the last 6 to 9 months, three Walgreens have shut down across the Northside, leaving thousands of families scrambling to fill prescriptions on time.
Councilmember for District 8, Reggie Gaffney Jr. hosted a joint meeting with District 10 Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman and District 14 Councilman Dr. Rahman Johnson.
The meeting comes after Northside residents voiced concerns about Walgreens closing its Gateway and Soutel stores, leaving only two major pharmacies in the area.
Gaffney said part of the issue is that residents say the stores are closing without notice.
“Over the last two to three weeks, I had a Walgreens recently close down in my district, and a couple of constituents reached out to me, asking me, did I know Walgreens was going to be closing down? They asked me, where do they go now and who do they need to contact. I have not witnessed it with my own, but my constituents have been impacted severely and drastically,” Gaffney Jr. said.
Walgreens shared the following statement with News4JAX about the closing stores:
Walgreens has been in communication with members of the city council and we have offered times to meet with each of them to discuss their questions and answer their concerns about closures of Walgreens stores in Jacksonville. We are hopeful that these meetings will happen before the end of this month, and look forward to an ongoing dialogue with member of the council. We understand how important our stores are to the communities that they serve. When closures are necessary, we do everything we can do minimize disruptions for customers and team members.
News4JAX spoke with a woman earlier this month who said her sister had to wait 14 days to get her pain medicine after a surgery.
“She’s so scared that if she needs more medication, she can’t get it filled in time,” she told News4JAX on Sept. 1.
Pittman also said she has seen the impact firsthand.
“I’ve witnessed this myself. Several customers are coming in and saying that they’re dropping off their prescriptions, and they’re getting a text stating that their prescription is ready, and then when they get here, it’s not here or it’s lost,” Pittman said. “I even have prescriptions that I haven’t had filled, because every time I come, the lines are so long. It’s an issue; it’s a problem.”