After decades of expansion, the nation’s largest drugstore chains are closing hundreds of stores as they reorient their operations against rising competition, a crush of opioid lawsuits and other forces — turning many already vulnerable communities into pharmacy deserts.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
Drugstore closures are leaving millions without easy access to a pharmacy
Over the past two years, Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens have signaled plans to shutter more than 1,500 stores, and public health experts say there’s already been fallout
By Aaron Gregg
and October 22, 2023 at 8:00 a.m. EDT