CHATHAM, IL - Walgreens has made the decision to close another one of its stores, citing theft and violence, leaving residents in the neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago upset.
The store, located near 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, has been in the neighborhood for decades, providing a place where people could walk up to pick up their prescriptions, CBS News reported. Residents say they're losing a vital resource, as Walgreens said the store will be closing for good.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Walgreens confirmed the store will close on June 4. The spokesperson said the store experienced "significantly higher levels of theft and violent incidents than our other locations."
They said they've made adjustments to their operations and taken other steps to mitigate the issue, but "ongoing safety challenges" made it hard to keep staff and customers safe, and so they have chosen to close the store. "Safety must remain our top priority," the company said in a statement.
Elected leaders joined Chatham residents on Monday morning to talk about the impact the store closure will have on the neighborhood. Residents held up signs that said, "Senior Lives Matter" and "Healthcare Matters."
"This isn't just about a store closing, it's about a lifetime being taken away," said Terrill Gardner. He and his wife, Denitra, have been married for 41 years. Gardner has had two kidney transplants and depends on getting his medication from the Walgreens in Chatham.
"Walgreens has been a staple in our lives, where we come for medication. Being a transplant recipient means he's on life-long medication – something we don't have time to search for," Denitra said.
Darryl Smith said his 76-year-old mother relies on medication from Walgreens after having a lung transplant. She takes 54 pills a day, and during his lunch break, he goes to the Walgreens in Chatham to pick up her medication.
"They don't care about the well-being. It's not their family that's on these meds," he said. "If they close this Walgreens, the next one is not within a distance for me to do on my lunch break. So it's a real inconvenience."
Ald. William Hall (6th) wants Walgreens to do what they've done in other neighborhoods by making modifications to the store rather than shutting it down.
"What we're witnessing is, again, a tale of two cities. Downtown, on 12th street, they figured it out. On 87th Street, they just give up? They've been giving up in the 4th ward, the 5th ward, now the 6th ward," Hall said.
The nearest Walgreens to the one closing in Chatham is more than a mile away, at 87th and Stony Island Avenue, but if you don't have transportation, it's a far distance. On the CTA, it's about a 10-minute bus ride. Walking takes about 25 minutes each way.
Walgreens said customers can keep filling prescriptions at the Chatham location until the store closes, and after June 4, prescriptions will be automatically transferred to nearby stores for uninterrupted service. The company said patients using the Cottage Grove store for prescriptions are eligible for 90 days of free prescription delivery to help ease the transition.
Hall said he'd like to have a conversation with CVS about possibly replacing the closing Walgreens store.
The store, located near 86th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, has been in the neighborhood for decades, providing a place where people could walk up to pick up their prescriptions, CBS News reported. Residents say they're losing a vital resource, as Walgreens said the store will be closing for good.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Walgreens confirmed the store will close on June 4. The spokesperson said the store experienced "significantly higher levels of theft and violent incidents than our other locations."
They said they've made adjustments to their operations and taken other steps to mitigate the issue, but "ongoing safety challenges" made it hard to keep staff and customers safe, and so they have chosen to close the store. "Safety must remain our top priority," the company said in a statement.
Elected leaders joined Chatham residents on Monday morning to talk about the impact the store closure will have on the neighborhood. Residents held up signs that said, "Senior Lives Matter" and "Healthcare Matters."
"This isn't just about a store closing, it's about a lifetime being taken away," said Terrill Gardner. He and his wife, Denitra, have been married for 41 years. Gardner has had two kidney transplants and depends on getting his medication from the Walgreens in Chatham.
"Walgreens has been a staple in our lives, where we come for medication. Being a transplant recipient means he's on life-long medication – something we don't have time to search for," Denitra said.
Darryl Smith said his 76-year-old mother relies on medication from Walgreens after having a lung transplant. She takes 54 pills a day, and during his lunch break, he goes to the Walgreens in Chatham to pick up her medication.
"They don't care about the well-being. It's not their family that's on these meds," he said. "If they close this Walgreens, the next one is not within a distance for me to do on my lunch break. So it's a real inconvenience."
Ald. William Hall (6th) wants Walgreens to do what they've done in other neighborhoods by making modifications to the store rather than shutting it down.
"What we're witnessing is, again, a tale of two cities. Downtown, on 12th street, they figured it out. On 87th Street, they just give up? They've been giving up in the 4th ward, the 5th ward, now the 6th ward," Hall said.
The nearest Walgreens to the one closing in Chatham is more than a mile away, at 87th and Stony Island Avenue, but if you don't have transportation, it's a far distance. On the CTA, it's about a 10-minute bus ride. Walking takes about 25 minutes each way.
Walgreens said customers can keep filling prescriptions at the Chatham location until the store closes, and after June 4, prescriptions will be automatically transferred to nearby stores for uninterrupted service. The company said patients using the Cottage Grove store for prescriptions are eligible for 90 days of free prescription delivery to help ease the transition.
Hall said he'd like to have a conversation with CVS about possibly replacing the closing Walgreens store.
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