WILKINSBURG, Pa. — From the outside, the Rite Aid pharmacy located on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg looks like business as usual, but inside shelves are empty. Channel 11 News learned that the location is set to close on February 11 leaving the community without a pharmacy.
“It feels like they were trying to keep it a secret from the neighborhood,” said Wilkinsburg Mayor Dontae Comans.
Last week, Comans said he began hearing rumblings that the Rite Aid on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg may be closing, so he made a visit but didn’t see any signs posted.
“No one wants to be surprised if you are coming here one day to get their prescription filled and it’s just empty,” Comans said.
After several calls he confirmed that Rite Aid would shut its doors for good, leaving the community with no pharmacy.
In 2023, the CVS also closed, and in 2024 that building was turned into a health clinic, but it does not have a public pharmacy.
“It’s not good, it’s not good at all,” said Robert McMillan
We found Robert McMillan at a local diner, he told us he has worked in Wilkinsburg for 30 years and goes to Rite Aid often. He, like many in the restaurant, had no idea the pharmacy was closing.
“What about the people who have to walk, some people don’t even have bus transportation to get down there, so it makes it harder,” he said.
A concern that the mayor also shares.
“We are a population of a little over 14,000 and the majority are seniors we have a lot of senior facilities, and they rely on coming here for their prescriptions,” Comans said. “Some people have the luxury to go other places, but we also have a lot of people that walk,” he continued.
The next closest pharmacy for Wilkinsburg residents is the Walgreens located in the city’s Point Breeze neighborhood. The mayor told us that unfortunately, at that location, some insurances are not accepted.
McMillan told us that he hopes another pharmacy will replace it, and soon.
“I hate to see Rite Aid go. I use the Rite Aid frequently, so I guess I have to go to Walgreens,” McMillan said.
Rite Aid provided Channel 11 News with this statement:
Prescriptions will be transferred to a nearby Walgreens. Rite Aid regularly assesses its retail footprint to ensure we are operating efficiently while meeting the needs of our customers, communities, associates, and overall business. While we have had to make difficult business decisions over the past several months to improve our business and optimize our retail footprint, we are committed to becoming financially and operationally healthy.
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