Roxbury

Roxbury Walgreens closing, creating difficult situation for neighbors

The Walgreens on Warren Street in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood will soon be the fourth to close its doors recently, and it will be difficult for many in the area to pick up their prescriptions at another location

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The imminent closing of a pharmacy in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood could leave many in the area with limited options.

The Walgreens on Warren Street is a lifesaver for countless residents who live nearby -- an easy place to walk to to pick up much-needed prescription drugs.

"Not happy they're going to close it down," said customer Brendaliz Rivera. "I really, really want them to keep it open."

For people who may not have a car, it'll be especially difficult to make it to another Walgreens location.

"If they close this down, it's hard for us to go to a different pharmacy," said customer Anamaria Medina. "They even closed down the one on Dudley, so it's very frustrating."

The expected closure of a pharmacy in Roxbury has residents upset.

"For us, it's a matter of life or death," said Rev. Miniard Culpepper, who is leading the charge to keep the store open.

He says this will be the fourth Walgreens to close down recently in the city.

He delivered a letter to Walgreens executives and held a protest in front of the store.

"This has been like a hub Walgreens in the Black and brown community, because of the other three that have closed around this Walgreens," he said. "We have no choice but to stand up and fight."

"When faced with the difficult decision to close a location, several factors are taken into account, including our existing footprint of stores, dynamics of the local market, and changes in the buying habits of our patients and customers," Walgreens said in a statement to NBC10 Boston.

The closest Walgreens will now be about a mile away.

Gregory McCloud has no car and uses a walker, so he's trying to come up with a Plan B.

"I have no idea," he said. "You can see I can walk here. Anywhere else, I don't know."

The store is slated to close on Jan. 31.

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