By james art 
Pharmacy closures create pharmacy deserts in vulnerable communities
As drugstore chains like Walgreens and CVS close their doors across the country, the absence is turning some communities into pharmacy deserts.
CVS will close one of its Topeka stores later this spring.
Amy Thibault, chief communications officer for CVS, told The Capital-Journal on Friday that the chain has made “the difficult decision to close the CVS pharmacy at 2835 SW Wanamaker Road in Topeka.”
The store and its pharmacy will close on March 5.
“Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closing decisions,” Thibault said. “Other factors include local market dynamics, population changes, community store density and the provision of other geographic access points to meet community needs.”
What does the CVS closing mean for customers’ prescriptions?
Thibault said customers will not lose access to their prescriptions.
“All prescriptions will be transferred to the nearby CVS Pharmacy at 3901 SW 21st St. to ensure patients have continued access to pharmacy care,” she said. “Patients can always choose to fill their prescriptions at any CVS pharmacy or at the pharmacy of their choice if another is more convenient. All colleagues are offered comparable roles within the company.”
Thibault said the company will offer several delivery options for customers and patients with eligible prescriptions, including 1- or 2-day delivery and on-demand (same-day) delivery (within three hours), through CVS.com and the app CVS Pharmacy to provide additional convenient access to essential household goods, health and wellness products and prescription drugs.
“We will continue to provide the community with exceptional service at our store on SW 21st St.,” she said.
Keishera Lately is a business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @Late_KT.