Walgreens is closing one of its two Bend pharmacies next week, a sign of the industry’s troubled times
'We regret any inconvenience...' AP analysis says Oregon has 2nd-fewest pharmacies per capita
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – One of Bend’s two Walgreens, on NE Highway 20, is closing its pharmacy next Monday, and customers will need to get their prescriptions at the remaining pharmacy on NE Franklin Avenue, the company confirmed to NewsChannel 21 Tuesday.
A customer of the East Bend Walgreens shared with us a recent letter informing customers of the move.
"We regret any inconvenience this may cause but hope to make the transition as seamless as possible," the letter stated, noting that customers' prescription records are available at all locations.
Patient prescription files are being automatically transferred to the Walgreens at 223 NE Franklin Avenue.
But the customer who shared the Walgreens letter with us said their Third Street and Franklin pharmacy "is so short-staffed, it's not unusual to be told they are behind filling prescriptions by 400-500."
The company's letter to customers also noted that the front-end store at the Highway 20 location will remain open for other products, groceries and photo orders.
A Walgreens corporate spokesperson provided this statement to NewsChannel 21 when asked about the impending closure:
When faced with the difficult decision to close a pharmacy, several factors are taken into account, including our existing footprint of stores and pharmacies, dynamics of the local market, changes in the buying habits of our patients and staffing, among other reasons. We are committed to our patients, and have provided them with options to ease the transition as this pharmacy closes so we can continue to serve their needs.
Walgreens had no comment on a recent Associated Press data analysis that found Oregon has the second-fewest number of pharmacies per capita in the nation, second only to Alaska. It found 610 retail pharmacies operating in Oregon, or 0.14 per 1,000 people.
Things are a bit better on Bend's north side, where 11 pharmacies were counted by AP in the 97701 ZIP code, which had a population of 41,600, for 0.26 pharmacies per 1,000 residents. There were only six pharmacies operating in the 97702 ZIP code, or 0.11 per 1,000 people, lower than the statewide figure.
