Pharmacy closures creating pharmacy deserts in vulnerable communities
As pharmacy chains like Walgreens and CVS close their doors across the country, the absence is turning some communities into pharmacy deserts.
The Walgreens location at 2826 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Milwaukee will close, the retail and pharmacy giant said Tuesday.
It’s unclear when this location will shut for good. Walgreens abruptly closed a south side location last month, citing “several incidents of criminal activity” at the store.
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This is the third location in Milwaukee that will close since Walgreens announced that it would be closing about 1,200 stores by 2027 and 500 by the end of next year nationwide.
Walgreens on South Layton Boulevard and West National Avenue on the south side was supposed to close by mid-November but abruptly closed early on Oct. 18, while it was announced Monday that the Walgreens at North 91st Street and West Appleton Avenue also will close.
The company said Tuesday, “We have no further announcements” when asked about any other closures.
The alderman for the Appleton Avenue location said he expected that store to close by Dec. 3. He urged constituents to find alternate pharmacy locations.
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Ald. Milele Coggs represents the area surrounding the King Drive location. She didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Walgreens said in a statement: “Our retail pharmacy business is central to our go-forward business strategy. However, increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are weighing on our ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs.
“It is never an easy decision to close a store. We know that our stores are important to the communities that we serve, and therefore do everything possible to improve the store performance. When closures are necessary, like these two in Milwaukee, we will work in partnership with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions. We intend to redeploy the majority of our team members from those stores that we close.”
Detroit Pistons (5-7, seventh in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (3-8, 12th in the Eastern Conference)
Milwaukee; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bucks -5.5; over/under is 219.5
BOTTOM LINE: Detroit visits the Milwaukee Bucks following the Pistons’ 123-121 overtime victory over the Miami Heat.
Milwaukee went 49-33 overall, 34-18 in Eastern Conference games and 31-11 at home during the 2023-24 season. The Bucks gave up 116.4 points per game while committing 19.2 fouls last season.
Detroit went 14-68 overall and 2-14 in Central Division action during the 2023-24 season. The Pistons averaged 109.9 points per game while allowing opponents to score 119.0 last season.
INJURIES: Bucks: Khris Middleton: out (ankle), Damian Lillard: out (concussion protocol).
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Pistons: Bobi Klintman: out (calf), Ausar Thompson: out (illness).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Milwaukee Bucks will kick off their quest for their first NBA Cup on Tuesday when they take on the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks will host the Raptors for their first NBA Cup game of the season.
Milwaukee missed out on the cup last year, and this year, the mission is to be the last team standing. Although the Bucks haven’t had the strongest start to the season, they still have highly favorable odds of hoisting the NBA Cup.
According to FanDuel, the Bucks have the 10th-best odds of winning the 2024 NAB Cup.
Milwaukee holds +1900 odds to win the trophy.
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Despite their 2-8 start to the season, oddsmakers believe the Bucks are in the thick of things. They hold better odds to win the cup than the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, and Phoenix Suns, to name a few, despite all those teams having better records than them.
Nonetheless, the beauty of the NBA Cup is that anything can happen. Last season, the Lakers and Pacers went on a hot streak and competed for the trophy and $500,000 per player.
Talk about motivation.
The Bucks have not been the team that many expected them to be thus far. They cannot defend to save their lives; injuries have already hampered them, and there is chatter throughout that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s days in Milwaukee are numbered.
That’s all speculation at the moment, but if things continue to trend that way, it could eventually become a reality. The Bucks are far from the team they want to be at, and the numbers indicate that.
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They are mediocre or in the bottom half in both offensive and defensive stats. Milwaukee ranks 21st in points in the paint per game, 20th in opponent points per game, 27th in assists per game, 13th in opponents’ total rebounds per game, and 21st in total rebounds per game.
The Bucks cannot defend and don’t dominate in the paint despite having the personnel to do so.
The good news is that there is still plenty of time to turn their season around, starting with this NBA Cup. The Bucks are in East Group B with the Raptors, Miami Heat, Pacers, and the Detroit Pistons.
Group play games will be played on Tuesdays and Fridays from Tuesday until Dec. 6.
If the Bucks are lucky enough, they will play in the quarterfinal games on Dec. 10 and 11. The semifinals and championship will be in Las Vegas on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17.
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More Bucks: History Might Be On Bucks’ Side Despite Horrible Start to Season
Walgreens will close its store at 5201 N. 91st St. in Milwaukee, located adjacent to Timmerman Airport on the city’s far northwest side, according to Ald. Lamont Westmoreland.
The store will close by Dec. 3, according to a news release from the alderman.
“I am actively working to bring additional pharmacy options to our area to meet the community’s needs and ensure everyone has access to the medications and health care resources they rely on,” Westmoreland said.
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Walgreens recently announced that it plans to close 1,200 stores by 2027, and roughly 500 will close in 2025.
Last month the company said it would close its store at 2625 W. National Ave. on Milwaukee’s near south side.
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