As CVS Health continues to put profits over patients, The Pharmacy Guild slams their misplaced values in prioritizing excessive corporate profits at the expense of patient care outcomes
WASHINGTON, DC — Statement Response from The Pharmacy Guild:
“The new profits reported by CVS Health Corp today came on the backs of deep cuts to patient care – they were achieved through chronically understaffing pharmacy services, closing down entire pharmacy stores, and CVS prioritizing profits for shareholders and executives over the safety of patients.
As CVS celebrates its ongoing financial successes, they fail to acknowledge that these profits come at the cost of systemic patient care shortcuts being taken nationwide inside their stores. Their profits are premised on systemic decisions to short-staff their pharmacies below safe levels, which is resulting in patients experiencing delays receiving medications they rely on, including pain management and life-saving medications, and has been proven to increase the risk of serious medical errors.
Recently, Ohio’s Pharmacy Board issued a penalty of $250,000 ruling that “CVS #2063 must ensure that sufficient personnel are scheduled at all times in order to minimize fatigue, distraction, or other conditions which interfere with a pharmacist’s ability to practice with requisite judgment, skill, competence, and safety to the public.” This is one location. Pharmacy professionals across the country are facing the same crisis of insufficient staffing.
We have also seen unprecedented pharmacy closures and rebrands in underserved communities with stores closing and selling off in Puerto Rico and parts of Boston that desperately need our care.
The thousands of pharmacy professionals organizing with the Pharmacy Guild condemn CVS for failing to live up to the responsibility they have to their patients, and will continue organizing to ensure that patients receive what they deserve – the highest quality care.
The Pharmacy Guild calls on CVS to reprioritize its values, and put quality patient care and safety over racking up more profits for billionaires. As a major leader in the retail pharmaceutical industry, it’s time CVS starts living up to its responsibilities to patients, not just its rich shareholders.”
###
The Pharmacy Guild is the premiere voice for pharmacy professionals across the United States. Pharmacy professionals are actively organizing with the Pharmacy Guild in every region of the country, fighting for a voice to be the advocates our patients deserve. We are committed to achieving the highest quality possible patient care outcomes, and ensuring patient care is never put behind corporate profits. The Pharmacy Guild is a project of IAM Healthcare, and affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Learn more at PharmacyGuild.org.