Lawmakers continue to push for resources, meetings with Walgreens and local residents

Washington (January 31, 2024) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) today blasted the closure of the Walgreens store and pharmacy at 416 Warren Street in Roxbury despite its integral value to the health of the residents and community of Roxbury:

“The Walgreens closure of 416 Warren Street continues the trend of corporations abandoning Black and Brown and immigrant communities. We are once again calling on Walgreens to work with us, community residents, and stakeholders in Roxbury to understand, and to adequately respond to, the impacts of this closure, stop the closure of its pharmacies in Black and Brown neighborhoods, and provide resources to the community as they work to fill the gaps this company has left behind. Walgreens must not abandon this community.”

On January 19th, the Massachusetts lawmakers called on Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth to not close the 416 Warren Street location. While Walgreens has stated that it will transfer patients’ files to a location approximately one mile away, for a significant number of Roxbury residents, including those lacking reliable transportation access, seniors, and people with mobility limitations, that additional distance could be the difference between life or death.

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