Photo Courtsey- Kennedy Patton
Residents of Tallahassee’s south side will have to find another pharmacy for their
medical needs. The CVS on South Monroe Street will be closing its doors on March 16,
according to a CVS employee.
There are 20 CVS locations in Florida’s capital city, but only two of those are on the
city’s south side. The next closest CVS is about an eight-minute drive from the South
Monroe Street location; if you have access to transportation.
In the 32301 ZIP code, which represents a sizable portion of the south side, about
30,000 people reside in this pocket of town. The walkability to the CVS made it
convenient for residents.
Tallahassee resident Stanley Sims said he was disturbed to learn her local CVS would
be closing.
“Ain’t it a shame that we have about three times the resources but our health care
replicates Gadsden County. That isn’t a funding problem, that’s a policy problem,” Sims
said.
A study done by the Florida Department of Health in Leon County analyzed the state of
community health and priority health issues for Leon County. In 2019, the percentage of
households earning under $10,000 was higher than Florida’s overall percentage. Low-
income wages impact the ability of someone to acquire quality health care.
Area codes like 32301 and 32304 prioritize access to quality healthcare services. When
a major pharmacy closes, it adds barriers to the people living in the area. Lack of
transportation, no insurance coverage, lack of money and distance from their home to
the office were the barriers mentioned in the assessment .
The barriers mentioned above can prevent patients from treating health concerns at an
early stage, which could lead to hospitalization in some cases.
Community health centers will have to respond to the influx of patients due to the CVS
closing. Bond Medical Center’s CEO Temple Robinson told the Tallahassee Democrats
that the clinic on South Meridian Road hopes to be an option for CVS’ former
customers.
“Our neighbors in this area, on the south side, in the Bond community and other
communities on the south side, also need easy access to pharmacy services,”
Robinson said. “ They will be able to transfer their pharmacy services.”
Bond Community Medical Center receive some of its funding from the U.S. Bureau of
Primary Health Care, Health Resources and Services Administration. This year Bond
Community Medical Center was also awarded over $130,000 by The ECV ( Expanding
Covid-19 Vaccination) awards.
Sims said he wants to see elected officials address the disparity in pharmacies and
other aspects of health care on Tallahassee’s south side.
“Until we address the policy by voting, our south side will continue to suffer a slow
death,” Sims said.