CVS pharmacists in Kansas City stage walkouts

CVS Health is focused on addressing the concerns raised by its pharmacists so it can continue to deliver the high-quality care its patients depend on, the retailer said.

Sandra Levy

9/27/2023

CVS pharmacists in Kansas City are launching a second round of walkouts "to highlight the dangerous working conditions that put patient safety at risk," according to Lannie Duong, Patient and Pharmacy Advocate, #PizzaIsNotWorking, a grassroots volunteer organization, with the hashtag #PINW #CVSWalkOut #OutWithTheTruth.

Duong said in a statement that the first walkout occurred last Thursday and Friday and "got the attention of the CEO of CVS."

Pointing out that there has been immediate traction, Duong's statement said, "A meeting was held yesterday evening with CVS leadership and the KC walkout organizers with agreements made on both sides, but later CVS reneged on their promise to issue a public apology based on a “miscommunication.” CVS did not hold this meeting in good faith," Duong said.

"As such, the walkouts were resumed. These issues have been on-going for over 10 years across all the big chains, and exponentially worsened during the pandemic with increased services such as COVID vaccinations and testing while simultaneously having staff cuts and hours shortened. There is now a call for a NATIONAL walkout from all big chain pharmacies, and we anticipate getting more attention from big chain corporations to finally hear us out; they can’t ignore us when the public is watching."

Duong continued, "While strikes and walkouts are not new, this is the first time that pharmacists have organized on this scale to get the attention of the public, and leadership, to have the conversation about this public health crisis. AND IT IS WORKING. And with the flu and vaccine season upon us, it is imperative these safety issues be resolved."

A CVS spokesperson sent a statement to Drug Store News, which said, "We’re committed to providing access to consistent, safe, high-quality health care to the patients and communities we serve. Our ability to serve patients in Kansas City was not impacted today and we are not seeing any abnormal activity in other markets."

The statement continued, "We always seek to work with our pharmacists to directly address any concerns they may have – and have been meeting with teams in the Kansas City market this week. We want our pharmacy teams to be able to succeed, which is why we’ve taken several actions to support our local teams including providing additional pharmacy resources to support stores that may be at capacity, providing additional support for filling open positions and increasing staffing levels."

The CVS statement concluded, "We recognize that there’s an industry-wide shortage of health care providers—including pharmacists—and that this is a busy time of year due to the high customer demand for seasonal vaccinations. We’re focused on addressing the concerns raised by our pharmacists so we can continue to deliver the high-quality care our patients depend on."

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