(Natural News)—The protest movement of thousands of non-union employees working at big chains – dubbed as “Pharmageddon” – could close hundreds of pharmacies as the protests calling for workload changes spread in at least 15 states.
Along with sickouts and walkouts in protest of what they describe as unbearable workloads that could impact patient safety, pharmacists have discussed protesting at the corporate headquarters of CVS in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and Walgreens in Deerfield, Illinois, according to California-based pharmacist Lannie Duong, one of the key organizers of the protests.
USA Today reported that protest organizers estimated as many as 4,500 pharmacists, technicians and staff from multiple chains, including CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens, have been drawn by “Pharmageddon” efforts. (Related: THE VANISHING: Pharmacist shortage prompts closures at CVS, Walmart pharmacy locations.)
American Pharmacists Association (APHA) CEO Michael D. Hogue said in a statement that they stand with every striking pharmacist and pharmacy staff. APHA is the industry’s largest professional organization.
“We support every pharmacist’s right to work in an environment with staffing that supports your ability to provide patient care. We know that these are steps you deem necessary in order to be heard by your employer. For far too long, employers have made the situation worse than it needed to be,” he stated.
Hogue added that the quotas requiring pharmacists to fill a certain number of prescriptions or administer large numbers of vaccinations are destroying their relationships with patients. “Supervisors who are not pharmacists do not understand the needs of care teams and make unreasonable demands on time-based productivity.”
The Virginia Pharmacy Association also stands firmly in support of pharmacists and other pharmacy staff. The association said: “The news of pharmacists leaving their jobs in other cities, saying ‘enough,’ and walking away, is truly a sign of desperation coming from professionals who, although committed to a lifetime of helping patients, found themselves needing to take a stand.”
Florida Pharmacy Association’s interim Executive Vice President and CEO Michael Jackson said there’s less money to go around to pay for additional pharmacy staff because health insurance reimbursements to pharmacies for prescription services provided are not going up but going down.
“It’s creating a situation where there is tremendous pressure on pharmacies to provide these services at lower costs, which has translated into heavier workloads for current pharmacy staff and increasing the chances of pharmacists and technicians making mistakes when filling prescriptions,” explained Jackson.
“Patient safety is the utmost thing that’s most important to these frontline pharmacists. They’re not saying we need more dollars. They’re saying we need more support, more help to do the things that we’re being asked to do. And I think that’s not an unfair ask.”
In a statement, a Walgreens spokesperson said the company recognizes the incredible work their pharmacy staff are doing daily and has taken several steps to ensure that pharmacy teams can concentrate on providing optimal patient care.
“Our leaders are in our pharmacies regularly, listening to concerns and frustrations and responding to feedback. We have taken steps over the last two years to improve pharmacists’ experience, advance the profession and enable them to provide the high-value care they were trained to do.”
CVS is making targeted investments that will address the key concerns of their pharmacy staff, including “enabling teams to schedule additional support as needed, enhancing pharmacist and technician recruitment and hiring, and strengthening pharmacy technician training,” said a company spokesperson.
“Pharmageddon” protesters seek better working conditions
In September and October, employees of national pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, have taken turns in the “Pharmageddon” series of sickouts and walkouts for anywhere from one to two days. Several walkouts nationally are expected to continue to “raise awareness about understaffing and improve working conditions.”
NBC News reported that the protesters are asking their employers to hire more staff and eliminate policies encouraging them to work harder, which they say increases the likelihood of accidental harm to patients.
“The pharmacists’ concerns are real,” said Dr. Lucas Berenbrock, an associate professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics at the University of Pittsburgh. “They are the last people a patient sees before taking medication, so having proper staffing and compensation for the many jobs that pharmacists are required to do on a day-to-day basis is key.”
Berenbrock added: “Everything that they do is about getting the right medications to the right patient, at the right dose, at the right time. And that all is about patient safety.”
Walgreens Colorado pharmacist Nathan Fuller said: “I think most of us who are participating [in “Pharmageddon”] feel like we haven’t been heard. People are either so burned out or fed up with the way things have been going that it’s hit a bursting point. If we continue to go down the direction we’re going, it’s going to be too unsafe.”
True enough, a recent USA Today investigation found that chain pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens have consistently slashed staffing levels while “saddling their frontline workers with a burgeoning list of additional duties.”
Watch this video about pharmacies shutting down due to worker shortages.
This video is from the Martin Brodel channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
- CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens to close down more than 1,500 stores due to rising retail crime, leaving MILLIONS without local access to medications.
- Staff at Walgreens, other major U.S. pharmacy chains could WALK OUT in coming weeks to PROTEST poor working conditions.
- Drug shortages reported at 96% of U.S. pharmacies at Big Pharma’s supply chain begins to fail.
Sources include:
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Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
