EASTON, Pa. — South Side Easton will soon lose a CVS Pharmacy, but officials say a new federally qualified health center will help provide residents with access to prescriptions by this summer.
In a statement this week, an official from CVS confirmed its location at 620 Old Philadelphia Road will shutter its doors on April 16.
That raises concern among some Easton residents who have relied on the location to obtain their medications.
The announcement comes amidst thousands of closings for CVS pharmacies and health care clinics, which could significantly impact hundreds of thousands if not millions of customers.
But Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone and Valley Health Partners reassured the community that the South Side soon will see the arrival of Valley Health Partners’ federally qualified health center look-alike.
It will offer prescription services and some retail, with an anticipated opening this summer.
According to the statement issued by CVS Health Corporate Communications Manager Kara Page, current prescription at the South Side location will be transferred to the CVS at 1520 Northampton St. to ensure uninterrupted access to medication.
Those patients can also opt to fill prescriptions at any other CVS Pharmacy, or the pharmacy of their choice.
'They do have a pharmacy'
Employees at the South Side location have been offered comparable roles within the company, Page’s message states.
"Store closure decisions are based on several factors, including population shifts, consumer buying patterns, store and pharmacy density, pharmacy care access, and community health needs," Page’s statement reads.
"We’re focused on ensuring we have the right kinds of stores and the right number of stores in the right locations. We’ll continue to provide the community with outstanding service at the five CVS Pharmacy locations remaining in Easton.
“A lot of our residents, particularly our elderly residents and most vulnerable residents, are a little upset and distraught.”Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone
"We also offer prescription delivery [same day and 1- and 2-day options] to eligible patients through CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app to provide additional convenient access to medications.”
Meanwhile, Pintabone and Valley Health Partners Community Health Center Vice President Nate Boateng are looking to a future where South Siders won’t have to travel much further to get their prescriptions.
“A lot of our residents, particularly our elderly residents and most vulnerable residents, are a little upset and distraught,” Pintabone said.
“First of all, they're still saying that we lost the bank for the first time ever. We don't have a bank in South Side, and now we don't have a pharmacy in South Side.
"So I was happy to be able to inform them or remind them that Valley Health Partners, a full-service medical facility, is coming to South Side at 440 Lincoln St., and they do have a pharmacy.”
'Dialed back offering' detailed
Valley Health Partners has several locations throughout Allentown and in Monroe County, but it said its new location on Lincoln Street will provide easier access to prescriptions and medical services to people in Easton’s South Side.
That includes primary care, pediatrics, vision and dental services.
"But it will be a full-service pharmacy in terms of prescription medications, along with some over-the-counter medications, cold medicine, and things like that you would typically get at a pharmacy.”Valley Health Partners Community Health Center Vice President Nate Boateng
Boateng said that if the plan goes as scheduled, the clinics could take patients as soon as mid-May, and the pharmacy will see a soft opening on June 27.
A grand opening event currently is set for late August.
Boateng said customers may see a bit of difference in the setup of the Valley Health Partners pharmacy as opposed to a regular retail pharmacy.
“What you get at a larger, sort of chain retail pharmacy, are sort of a for-profit pharmacy, essentially," Boateng said. "You can generally get groceries or shampoo, those kinds of supplies, taxable retail items
“We will offer sort of a more dialed-back version, since we're a nonprofit organization, so it'll be a more dialed-back offering.
"But it will be a full-service pharmacy in terms of prescription medications, along with some over-the-counter medications, cold medicine, and things like that you would typically get at a pharmacy.”
'We're excited'
Pintabone said the location for the pharmacy is convenient for South Siders, as it is right by the Dollar General Plus, a retail staple for many day-to-day items.
For those seeking care through the medical side, Boateng said those without insurance can get assistance in the form of a sliding fee scale, financial assistance programs and consultations with staff to apply for Pennie, or Pennsylvania Health Insurance.
“It's just huge, and our residents would really, really be in a bad spot if Valley Health Partners was not coming into the South Side."Easton City Councilman Frank Pintabone
“We have lots of programs to make sure that anyone who walks through our doors can afford care, and so we're excited to bring that to the South Side community,” Boateng said.
Pintabone said the new pharmacy is pivotal for a neighborhood that has a sizable aging population who may not be interested in excessive traveling for medications and doctors’ appointments.
Delivery services also will be available for those unable to travel at all, Pintabone said.
“It's just huge, and our residents would really, really be in a bad spot if Valley Health Partners was not coming into the South Side,” Pintabone said.
Boateng said that because 1 in 10 Americans relies on a community health center for care, “we try and fill gaps where those health care gaps exist.”
Pintabone and Boateng added the new facility will require additional staff, and Valley Health Partners is looking at the local community to help fill those roles.
Those interested in applying for the pharmacy or the medical facilities can do so on the Valley Health Partners website.
