The father of a CVS pharmacist who passed away from a heart attack at work in 2021 criticizes the industry for not addressing conditions that endanger employees and customers.
He dismisses a recent CVS memo as “damage control” and emphasizes the lack of meaningful change since his daughter’s death.
“Maybe circumstances have given me a jaded view, but I think this ‘internal’ memo was created by CVS’ public relations team to be viewed by the public,” Larry Anderson said.
Pharmacists have been under pressure due to the pandemic, leading to burnout and concerns about patient safety.
“As for the rest of the statement, I don’t, and I doubt if very many CVS employees, believe they are taking meaningful steps to improve the working environment that their employees endure,” he said.
“When you are that tired, and you’re that short-handed, and you’re that far behind, that is a recipe for disaster,” Larry Anderson said.
“The only change of some significance that CVS has made since the time of Ashleigh’s death is that they now close the pharmacy for one half hour each day, so the pharmacy team can have a quick lunch, though no provision has been made of the night shift at 24-hour pharmacies,” he said.
Despite industry claims of improvement, the father argues that little has changed.
“It is our hope that a strong public reaction will help the thousands of hardworking pharmacists and techs force CVS and Walgreens to make changes that no longer put customer’s and employee’s lives at risk,” he added.
CVS and Walgreens have made statements about workplace safety and labor shortages, but the father is advocating for broader industry changes to protect employees and customers.
“The pharmacy operating model needs to evolve, and pharmacy school deans are critical partners in helping Walgreens and the industry overall solve for the current workplace challenges that are also impacting pharmacy school enrollment,” Walgreens Boost Alliance stated.
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