A pharmacist shortage recently forced Walgreens to close stores in Racine and Shorewood.
The Racine branch was out of service for more than 24 hours, according to TMJ4.com.
“We had several patients looking to get their prescriptions filled, but they were unable to get it because their pharmacy was closed,” Kyle Beyer, a pharmacist at North Shore Pharmacy, told TMJ4.com. “So, [we] tried our best [and] called neighboring stores. We were on hold for a while, so it created a little bit of chaos.”
A Walgreens spokesperson later said the incidents are not isolated.
“Generally speaking, what we have been seeing in some areas is consistent with what many other health care entities have been experiencing – staffing challenges due to the ongoing labor shortage and ongoing demand for COVID-related services,” the unnamed spokesperson said. “As a result, there are some instances in which we’ve had to adjust or reduce pharmacy operating hours as we work to balance staffing and resources in the market to best meet customer demand.”
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered shockwaves throughout the pharmacy industry, TMJ4.com reported. It added more stress, pressure, and responsibility, which resulted in significant burnout for pharmacists and other employees. Many people left the field and fewer are choosing to enter it; demanding hours and a lack of workers led to a nationwide shortage of pharmacists.
