CVS Health is responding quickly to disgruntled pharmacists who have left their shops with a shortage of staff. Reports have surfaced of store pharmacists’ frustration with their workload driving them to leave their positions without providing any notice.
The retail health-care giant has reacted by sending additional staff and resources to help fill the gap left by the disgruntled employees. “We are providing additional staffing and resources in our stores to meet the needs of our customers and ensure continued access to essential healthcare services,” CVS said in a statement.
CVS Health is one of the largest retail pharmacy chains in the United States, serving customers with more than 9,800 stores nationwide. But in recent weeks, reports have surfaced that pharmacists have begun leaving at an increased rate, driven by what many said were unbearable workloads with little to no overtime pay.
The pharmacists’ stories highlight the difficulties many CVS workers face on a daily basis. Lack of staff, long working hours, and pay that doesn’t meet industry standards seem to be the main drivers behind the mass exodus.
CVS released a new job description for their pharmacists in May, increasing the responsibilities and workload for workers while keeping the pay rate the same. But CVS has yet to address adverse working conditions like lack of breaks, long hours, and lack of staff—all contributing factors to the pharmacists’ frustrations.
In response to the shortage of staff, CVS will be utilizing third-party companies to fill in the gaps whenever possible and will prioritize hiring more pharmacists to local stores that need them, as well as using pharmacists from vital PillPack stores to help fill in the gaps.
CVS has also undertaken an effort to ease the workload of their pharmacists, including an expansion of their delivery services and partnerships with third-party companies to provide more staff and services.
All in all, CVS is looking to make up for the lack of pharmacists in their stores, and they’re doing what they can to meet customer needs as quickly and efficiently as possible. Their initiative to ensure continued access to essential healthcare services is admirable, and hopefully, their efforts will help put an end to the pharmacists’ frustrations.