Grocery pharmacists, patients and labor leaders gathered outside a Ralphs in Koreatown Monday to release survey results they say show longer wait times and rising safety concerns at neighborhood grocery pharmacies.
The survey of patients at Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons and Pavilions found that nearly six in 10 respondents said pharmacy lines have increased in recent years, nearly half reported waiting more than 10 minutes for service and about one in nine said they had experienced a medication error, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
According to union representatives, the findings reflect chronic understaffing and growing workloads that pharmacists contend are affecting patient care.
Representatives of the grocery chains did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The pharmacists’ contracts with the grocery chains expired March 1, and negotiations are underway for a new agreement that would include stronger staffing standards. Union officials said the companies have not agreed to those proposals.
“We review every prescription for accuracy, check for dangerous drug interactions, administer vaccines, resolve insurance issues, and counsel patients — often while juggling nonstop phone calls and growing lines,” Craig Chally, a pharmacist at a Vons store in Thousand Oaks, said in a statement. “Safe staffing protects patients.”
Community speakers at a news conference Monday outside the Ralphs store in the 3400 block of West Third Street said grocery pharmacies are critical access points for health care, particularly for seniors and people with chronic conditions.
Mary Stancavage, who identified herself as a Pavilions pharmacy patient, said delays can have serious consequences for families relying on medications.
“When pharmacies are short-staffed and you’re waiting longer than necessary for relief, it adds stress at a time you can’t afford it,” she said.
The union represents nearly 800 pharmacists at the four chains in Southern California.
According to the union, pharmacists have been negotiating since January and are seeking stronger staffing standards and wage increases to retain experienced workers.