Stretched thin, CVS and Walgreens workers walk out of pharmacies

Unfilled prescriptions… Organizers are calling this week’s pharmacy walkouts “Pharmageddon” after estimating that thousands of workers clocked out from Monday to Wednesday. CVS and Walgreens pharmacists across the US walked off the job as protests that started in September gained momentum.

• Not about $$: Pharmacy workers aren’t demanding bigger checks. Instead, they want their employers to hire more staff and change policies that make them rush.

• Heavy workload: One store manager said their pharmacy fills 450 prescriptions in a typical day (around half have to be counted out pill-by-pill) and administers 45 vaccinations per shift.

• Patient problem: Nearly three-quarters of US pharmacists say they don’t have enough time to safely do their jobs. That can lead to harmful errors, like mixing up prescriptions.

Bitter pill… The pandemic worsened an existing nationwide shortage of healthcare workers, who suddenly had a new vax to jab everyone with. Now, pharmacy workers say their responsibilities are even more overwhelming as struggling chains shutter hundreds of stores, leaving customers to fill their prescriptions at fewer counters. Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy last month, while Walgreens’ credit rating was recently downgraded to one step above “junk” on debt concerns. Meanwhile, CVS reported expectation-beating growth yesterday partly thanks to its health insurance biz Aetna and recent acquisitions of healthcare providers Oak Street Health and Signify Health.