Manchester Pharmacy to close Friday, July 26
On Friday morning, July 19, employees at Manchester's Hometown Pharmacy were called in for a staff meeting, only to learn that the more than 100-year old pharmacy business would be closing in one week.
This is yet one more blow to the beleaguered business community in Manchester. With the closure of the Manchester Market in February, the anticipated closure of Pyramid Office Supply, along with several already-vacant storefronts, to say this news hit residents hard is an understatement.
Anna Reid with Manchester Pharmacy's corporate parent company, Hometown Pharmacy based in Newaygo, said on Friday afternoon that all employees have been offered jobs within the Hometown organization. Obviously, it is each employee's decision whether to accept these positions.
"Honestly, this is a big decision and not something we take lightly," Reid said. Asked if the corporation had considered downsizing the store to a pharmacy only to be able to keep it in Manchester, she indicated that often when stores downsize the retail side, it also reduces the overall prescription count. "That trend tends to follow the business," she added. "Keeping independent pharmacies in towns like Manchester is important to us, but the downward trend of prescription volume has been ongoing (in Manchester) for a few years. At a certain point, the business is simply no longer viable."
She also said, "This was an extremely difficult decision to make, and we take it very seriously. That is why we wanted to make sure to offer positions to the employees at other Hometown Pharmacies as well."
Reid stated that Hometown's Chelsea Pharmacy, where all current prescription records are being transferred, has an existing and organized prescription delivery service, which will definitely be offered to Manchester patients. "That is part of our plan; we understand that our patient base ranges in so many different ages and that many people in Manchester will need and appreciate this service."
Asked about the short turn-around from notification of closing to the actual closing date, Reid said that many times corporations don't give any notice at all; they just shut the doors, which is often routine for the industry. However, in Manchester, Hometown felt it was important to give some notice and in this case, a week was determined to be adequate.
"It is important to us to thank the people of Manchester for allowing us to serve them for many years," Reid concluded. "It is also important to us that we continue to support our Manchester customers and current employees, and we hope they will give us the opportunity to do that through Chelsea Pharmacy.”
Reid has not spoken to Ron Milkey, the building's landlord, but said he had been contacted by a company spokesperson. Milkey, who owns the building with Jeff Fahey states that he actually found out about it Friday morning on Facebook and not from the company.
Milkey explained that he and Fahey worked with Hometown to keep the pharmacy successful. He stated, “We had not raised the rent in over 10 years because we knew the pharmacy was struggling and as building owners, we wanted to help where we could. We also paid thousands of dollars to upgrade the subfloor and flooring even though the pharmacy was responsible for interior repairs and maintenance. We discussed with them adding office and storage space on the second floor and ideas for a drive up service window in the rear as ways to improve business.”
Although the new pharmacist, Ilyad Basseri, has worked hard to create a good rapport with people during the short time he’s been there, Milkey and Fahey feel that staffing changes made by the Hometown Pharmacy company after the longtime head pharmacist (who was also a Manchester resident) left, were detrimental to business in Manchester and contributed to the closing.
Like with the closing of the grocery store, Manchester is not alone in losing its pharmacy. Small towns across the country are experiencing the same thing. In July 2018 the RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis released a study showing that between 2003 and 2018 1,231 (or 16.1%) independently owned rural pharmacies in the United States closed. Additionally, 630 rural communities that had at least one retail (independent, chain, or franchise) pharmacy in March 2003 had no retail pharmacy in March 2018.
The study also found that residents of rural communities that have lost their only pharmacy often have no choice but to travel to other communities to obtain prescriptions—a barrier for individuals with limited mobility. Mail order services are frequently cited as a means for obtaining prescription service for isolated residents, but mail order cannot provide the benefits of face-to-face consultation or the same clinical services that are available from a local pharmacy.
Milkey and Fahey hope that Manchester isn’t joining those 630 communities permanently. Milkey stated, “We hope that as we try to recruit another pharmacy, the Village leadership and the public in general, will welcome and fully support a new and very necessary business to our community.”
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