Pharmacies face job shortage, stresses of medical field [View all]

JEFFERSON CITY — As healthcare workers are still reeling from the devastating spike in cases of COVID-19 from this winter's Omicron variant, pharmaceutical workers are, similarly, facing severe strains.

Several pharmacies nationwide, and in Mid-Missouri, are facing worker shortages, reduced hours, and even unexpected closures.

"There are pharmacists out there," Ron Fitzwater, the Executive Director of the Missouri Pharmacy Association, an advocacy group, said.
"There's not enough revenue coming to be able to support that kind of overhead, and the patients suffer. I mean, we don't have access here in Jefferson City to a 24-hour pharmacy anymore."

Fitzwater said, for years, the healthcare system has attempted to maximize profits, often at the expense, he said, of pharmaceutical workers on the frontline. After the pandemic, pharmacy employees were met with a surge in demand for both COVID-19 tests and, eventually, vaccinations, on top of their routine practice.

https://krcgtv.com/news/local/pharmacies-face-job-shortage-stresses-of-medical-field