Community Responds to Closure of Local Pharmacies
The announced closure of The Pharmacy Northshire will leave Manchester with a single retail pharmacy, raising serious concerns about access to medications, continuity of care, and public health resilience. Consolidation within the pharmacy industry has increasingly placed pressure on independent providers, particularly in rural regions like the Northshire. Reliance on a single pharmacy creates risks for residents who depend on timely prescription access, delivery services, and durable medical equipment. In response, I have been working to keep residents informed, engage regional partners, and explore options to attract additional pharmacy services or restore local alternatives. Ensuring reliable access to healthcare infrastructure is essential to sustaining a healthy, livable community.
“This is a public health emergency for our community — we have to act.”
Reposted from Manchester Journal
MANCHESTER — Northshire residents continue to seek solutions in the wake of news that one of just two pharmacies in Manchester will soon close. The Pharmacy, Inc. in Bennington is expected to close on March 26, according to an initial statement from the organization, and The Pharmacy Northshire, in Manchester, is expected to close on April 3.
The owners of The Pharmacy, Inc. and The Pharmacy Northshire — registered pharmacists Harsh and Tracy Patel — could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts to reach them since the closure was first announced via a classified advertisement in the Bennington Banner on Wednesday, Feb. 26. A day later, customers were notified through a social media post on the Facebook pages for The Pharmacy, Inc. and The Pharmacy Northshire.
"Your continued care is our number one priority," the company posted to Facebook. "As a patient you do not need to do anything, all your scripts will be transferred to Walgreens automatically on our last business day and will be filled on your normal schedule."
Additionally, Walgreens is expected to offer positions to some staff from both pharmacies.
"Walgreens is offering many of our staff positions to accommodate and continue with the level of care that we have provided as your hometown pharmacy," the post continued. "Thank you for your support during this transition."
Just last week, however, Walgreens (officially known as Walgreens Boots Alliance) announced its pending acquisition by the private equity firm Sycamore Partners, totaling $10 billion according to reporting from the New York Times.
On Monday, a media spokesperson for Walgreens, Jennifer Cotto Johnson, said that the deal with Sycamore Partners will not impact the existing agreement between Walgreens and The Pharmacy, Inc. and The Pharmacy Northshire.
“Walgreens is pleased to have reached an agreement with The Pharmacy Northshire and The Pharmacy, Inc. to acquire their pharmacy customer prescription files,” Johnson said. “Customers do not need to take any action as their pharmacy files will automatically transfer to nearby Walgreens. They will receive notification in the mail along with details about their prescriptions.”
“We are providing employment opportunities for both The Pharmacy Northshire and The Pharmacy, Inc. existing pharmacy staff,” she continued. “Walgreens has a long history of serving communities throughout the U.S. and looks forward to providing customers in [the] Northshire and Bennington with greater access to a wide range of trusted pharmacy and healthcare services.
The company did not respond to a number of other questions from the Manchester Journal, however, including the number of staff and customers expected to be transferred; whether the agreement entails any transfer of land, inventory, or other property; whether there is a monetary value entailed in the agreement; and whether Walgreens will expand services that have historically been provided by The Pharmacy Northshire – specifically for durable medical equipment and pharmacy deliveries.
As of Thursday, no record of sale for 34 Ways Lane (the current location of The Pharmacy Northshire) has been documented at Manchester’s Town Hall.
Neither the Vermont Office of Professional Regulation nor the state Board of Pharmacy had been formally informed of these plans as of Friday, March 7. According to Jennifer B. Colin, general counsel for the Vermont Secretary of State and Office of Professional Regulation, pharmacies are required to provide the board with written notice of a closure at least 15 days in advance, and must provide patients with 30 days notice in writing. These deadlines are detailed in the Vermont Board of Pharmacy's Administrative Rules, she said.
The Board of Pharmacy and Office of Professional Regulation first learned about the planned closure of The Pharmacy, Inc. and The Pharmacy Northshire through the Manchester Journal’s initial reporting on Feb. 27, Colin said.
She also provided a list of registered pharmacies within the state, which confirms that only Walgreens would remain in Manchester once The Pharmacy Northshire closes on April 3. Another nearby provider, Green Mountain Pharmacy in Londonderry, closed in 2023 and many of their customers were subsequently transferred to The Pharmacy Northshire.
“In addition to in-state pharmacies, the patients of these pharmacies can inquire with their prescription coverage providers about any nonresident licensed mail order pharmacies within their insurance network,” Colin advised. “At any time, patients can contact their pharmacy and transfer their prescriptions to another pharmacy of their choosing.”
The provider landscape in Bennington is a bit more amenable, with pharmacies still available at WalMart, Price Chopper, CVS, Hannaford, and the town’s own Walgreens location. While Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) also has a licensed institutional pharmacy, this is intended to provide support to nurses and physicians providing patient care.
“We are not licensed to offer retail-like services to the general public,” said Kate Czaplinski, Director of Marketing & Communications for SVMC.
“The closings of The Pharmacy locations in Bennington and Manchester reflect a troubling trend of consolidation in the pharmacy industry, which is making it increasingly difficult for the smaller, independent pharmacies to survive and thrive,” said Bill Colvin, executive director of the Bennington County Regional Commission (BCRC). “Thorpe’s Pharmacy, just over the border in Hoosick Falls, N.Y. also just announced an imminent closure. Particularly in the Northshire, this closure could present serious challenges to residents and visitors seeking to fill their prescriptions and meet other health needs.”
“While there is little the BCRC can do when a business decides to shut down, we stand ready to assist should a new buyer for the businesses materialize,” he concluded.
Select Board member Jonathan West has made multiple posts in local forums to inform residents of the changes, as well as his work to identify solutions.
“Like many of you, I am deeply concerned about how the closure of Pharmacy Northshire will impact our community’s ability to access vital medications in a timely manner,” West wrote in a post to the Facebook group Northshire Community Forum on Feb. 28. “With the prior consolidation of [Green Mountain Pharmacy in Londonderry] into Pharmacy Northshire, and the additional burden it took on during Walgreens’ extended closure, I am especially concerned about the risks of relying on a single pharmacy.”
West said he is looking for ways that the town could attract new pharmacies to fill the gap, or even incentivize the return of services like the former pharmacy at Shaw’s in Manchester (whose parent company, Albertsons, also could not be reached for comment).
“Although I have received assurances from Walgreens staff that they are encouraged by the focus Walgreens Corporate has placed on this transition, and they believe they will have the staff to support the additional volume, it is imperative that there be an alternative to a single pharmacy serving the Northshire,” West told the Journal. “With over 12,000 full-time residents within 15 minutes of Manchester, with tourist and part-time residents doubling that number, having a single point of service is not sustainable.”
“Bennington, which has a larger full-time resident population, but smaller tourist and part-time population, is serviced by 6 pharmacies,” he continued. “Brandon, with a population smaller than Arlington and Dorset, has 2 within Brandon, with Rutland and Middlebury both within 15 minutes. This is a public health emergency for our community, we have to act.”
https://www.manchesterjournal.com/local-news/we-have-to-act-residents-respond-to-closure-of-local-pharmacies/article_c5956904-003b-11f0-b9b2-abf17f2ca3cb.html
As always, I can be reached directly at (802) 768-7900 or at west.j@manchester-vt.gov
