Hometown Health Centers CEO Joseph Gambino says a decision by Walgreens to close its Schenectady location next week could leave local customers in the lurch.
Walgreens is closing about 200 of its less-profitable U.S. stores over the next three years and opening the same number in new locations as part of a companywide reorganization, the company announced last week.
It’s unclear yet how many of the Capital Region’s 10 stores could close. While company officials could not confirm the final list of stores set to close, they did confirm Tuesday that the Schenectady store — located inside Hometown Health’s Schenectady location — would close next week on April 24.
That wouldn’t be a problem, Gambino said, if the community health center had received a bit more time to find another pharmacy to take its place.
“It’s absolutely legal,” he said. “It’s part of their contract that they can pull out in 30 days. But they’re really not doing any favors for the local population that relies on them.”
The center at 1044 State St. provides an array of medical and dental services to underserved populations in Schenectady. Many patients lack transportation and arrive by bus or cab to the center using Medicaid vouchers, Gambino said.
“One of the greatest advantages our population has in coming to a place like this is that they can actually get their medication almost immediately after seeing their doctor because the pharmacy is right on the premises,” he said.
Hometown Health is currently searching for another pharmacy to take Walgreens’ place, he said, and could have benefited from more than 30 days’ notice. It will be another four to six months at the earliest before the center can secure another pharmacy for that space, he said.
“If they just gave us 90 or 120 days to work through some of the issues we’re now dealing with, it would have been an easier transition for everyone,” Gambino said.
Walgreens spokesman Phil Caruso said 30 days’ notice is fairly typical for a store closure. Starting April 25, all prescription files for its Schenectady customers will be transferred to the Rite Aid one block away, he said.
“If the customer says, ‘You know, I prefer to go someplace else, that is their right,’ ” Caruso said. “They can go to any pharmacy they like. But we wanted to move the files over to the nearest pharmacy location to ensure our patients continue to have nearby access. The transfer will be automatic.”
Customers should be receiving more information in the mail about the transition, he said.
