When a Facebook video suggested that Gary’s only Walgreens pharmacy might be closing, alarm spread quickly in the comments. Residents fretted about where they would fill prescriptions if the store at West 25th Avenue and Grant Street disappeared.
Capital B Gary reached out to the chain’s parent company, Walgreens Boots Alliance, about the rumor, and the company confirmed the store will remain open.
“We do not have plans to close this Walgreens location at this time,” a company representative said in an email. “We also don’t have any closures to announce for the entire state of Indiana currently.”
Among the posts reflecting that concern was a video from Vivian Woodson-Hotchkins, whose post echoed a broader worry in Gary.
“A little bird told me that the Walgreens on 25th and Grant was closing. Is this true? And how can we stop this?” she asked. She shared her love of the store and shared a genuine concern for wanting to know if the store is closing.
Viewers quickly filled the comments with similar worries. The store has been Gary’s only Walgreens since the 2017 closure of the Miller Beach location.
In May, Walgreens closed a store in Indianapolis, but no other plans have been announced for the state. Including the Gary location, it operates more than 100 stores statewide.
“They’re one of Walgreens’ busiest stores,” said Dr. Janet Seabrook, Gary’s health commissioner. “So if that store ever closes, that means that something drastic has happened to divert people away from that location.”
She noted that the store sits just off Interstate 80/94 and is surrounded by housing, including many senior residents.
Many in Woodson-Hotchkins comments and other separate posts brought up how many pharmacies were in the area, both small and big box. Seabrook said smaller pharmacies face steep challenges competing with national retailers, citing issues of pricing and access to drugs.
“I’m not saying it’s not possible, but it’s challenging,” she said.
According to information reported by the Indiana Capital Chronicle, there are approximately 125 independent pharmacies located throughout the state, a fraction of the number of chain and supermarket pharmacies.
Seabrook said she, like others, was relieved that Gary’s Walgreens is staying open.
“It’s important that when people hear rumors like that, they find ways to confirm or deny that it’s happening,” she said. “We don’t want people who are utilizing their pharmacy to hear something that’s a rumor, and then get concerned or upset that they aren’t going to be able to get their prescriptions, which might send them into a tailspin or health scare.”
Valerie Lee, president of the Senior Citizens Friendship Club, doesn’t use the pharmacy for her prescriptions, but she knows residents who do.
“I understand that significant portions of the citizens who live in Gary don’t have the access to be able to leave the city to go and get their medication somewhere else,” she said. Mail-order prescriptions are an option for some, she added, but many still depend on having a pharmacy in their neighborhood.
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