This story was reported in collaboration with community members. Want to work on a story with Ideastream Public Media? Get in touch.
Rite Aid is set to close its remaining pharmacies in the city of Cleveland — and all but four across Ohio — by the end of September, leaving some residents concerned about retail and pharmacy options in their neighborhoods.
The store closures are a reflection of a national decline in pharmacies as chains such as CVS have also closed hundreds of locations. Retailers say the stores are no longer profitable, but store closures have created what some call "pharmacy deserts," particularly in low-income neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color, forcing people to scramble to transfer prescriptions and find health goods and services elsewhere.
Ideastream recently visited two Rite Aid stores shortly before they closed, in Cleveland's Detroit-Shoreway and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods, as well as a soon-to-close store near the Cleveland Clinic.
Losing pharmacy access
Outside the Detroit-Shoreway store on Franklin Boulevard, Justin Roman, a former store employee, voiced concerns for the neighborhood's future.
"I know several people within an area who are disabled who rely heavily on this location," he said. "Since they don’t have the proper access to the pharmaceutical goods, the convenience, people are going to move out of the neighborhood. We're going to lose income, the crime rates are going to go up. They're already starting to, so I think that it has a lot of effects.”
He also advocated for his former coworkers who remain at the store, noting that they're only receiving a few weeks of severance pay and are struggling to find new jobs.
"They've helped build the store, grow the store. They've changed the store," he said. "They've seen the culture of the store shift, and they've been a part of every demographic that comes in. They've seen the neighborhood in its best, in its worst times."
Convenience for those without cars
Jeff Williams has walked to the Rite Aid on Franklin Avenue for the last eight years. The store's closure will prolong his walks, he said.
"This is close to where I live, and I would have to walk maybe a couple more miles to get to another convenience store," he said. "Some people just can't make it across town. This is just such a convenient area, and it's walking distance to a lot of different things."
Angie Schmitt doesn't own a car, though she said she's lucky her husband has one. She's enjoyed being able to walk her dog through the Rite Aid pharmacy drive-thru, but now she'll likely have to go to the Cleveland-Lakewood border for medications.
"A lot of people in the neighborhood are really upset about it," she said. "The closest pharmacy to us, I guess, is W. 117th, which is like right over the border in Lakewood. I heard that's where they transferred my medicines to."
The loss of the store will exacerbate the inconvenience of having to drive to the suburbs, Schmitt said.
"Having a big, vacant space also is going to be a bummer. There's just not very much retail in Cleveland. We're a little bit of a retail desert, so it seems like the problem's getting worse," she said.
Less options for medication
Outside the Clark-Fulton Rite Aid, which has since closed, Diana Gonzalez expressed frustration over the sudden closure. She visited the store during its final three days of business.
"I didn't get no notice or anything," she said, adding that she didn’t know where her prescriptions would be transferred.
Though there is a Walgreen's store across the street from the shuttered Rite Aid, Gonzalez noted the challenges posed by pharmacy closures for the elderly and people with disabilities, especially if they need specific medications.
"Like my husband, he's a diabetic. They cut his leg off already," she said. "So, I've got to go certain places to get his medication now."
Anthony Amparo was also unaware of the Clark-Fulton store closure. He was searching for a specific soap that the local dollar store didn't carry, but said he didn't want to venture to Walmart.
"I need some soap — eczema soap. I’ve been working all day," he said. "I didn’t even know it was closing, to be honest with you. My issue is, for the most part, the medication — why is it so high? You can close all the stores if you’ve got one cheap [option].”
