I feel a bit bad writing a negative review of the Walgreens store at 2S613 Route 59 in Warrenville because we've had generally good experiences with them in the past (with one exception for myself that I mention below). In fact, they've have been our primary pharmacy since they opened for businesss. I don't take any medications so my wife usually is the only one to pick up prescriptions but I recently picked up prescriptions for her when she had just gotten out of the hospital after surgery and the man at the drive-up window was not only rude but he took so much time filling the order that cars were backed up halfway around the entire parking lot. The prescriptions were already ready to go but he basically just ignored me while I waited at the drive-up window while people behind me were getting angry. To top it off, he was short and unfriendly. That was my one and only esperience with the pharmacy until yesterday.
Yesterday, my wife and I went to this Walgreens to get booster Covid-19 shots since they are available at many drug stores now even though news reports say they will be available next month (September) for those who had the shots early in the roll-out. My wife and I both had our shots very early in the roll-out vacinne roll-out. Our daughter, a registered nurse, made us aware that we could get the booster shots now. So we headed to Walgreens to get the shots over with.
When we were walking back to the pharmacy counter, an automated announcement came over the PA system saying vaccine shots were given with no appoinments. When we got the the counter, we asked the pharmacist if we could get the booster shots and we showed him our proof that we had the first two shots early in the year. (We were planning a trip where we would be around a lot of people and thought the booster shot would be a good idea before going on the trip.) He made it clear that we could receive the booster shots but we should have defined risk factors. Well, that was easy, or so we thought. I told him that I was 72 and my wife was 71. Age is a serious risk factor for the virus. Then I pointed out that we were both a bit overweight. Overweight is also considered a serious risk factor. And, in addition to that, my wife has sacroidosis and I have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. So we each have three serious risk factors. But the pharmacist went to talk to another pharmacist (presumably his boss) a couple times and finally came back and said my wife would have to prove that she has sarcoidosis. They couldn't give me the booster because they only had the Moderna vaccine and I had the Pfizer vaccines previously. But even if I had the Moderna vaccine, I couldn't get the booster without proving that I have Type 2 Diabetes. I suggested to my wife that they probably had records of prescriptions for her medicine to treat sarcoidosis but, unfortunately, she gets that medicine from an online company.
We accepted the refusal cordially and left but, thinking about it later, I became disappointed and a bit angry with what had happened. After all, we both had two important risk factors that were right there to see and provable - age and weight. That alone should have been enough. In fact, either one of those should have been enough. We could show them proof of our age and they could see we are a bit overweight just by looking at us. What made me a bit angry when thinking about it later was that by demanding proof that my wife has sacroidois (and, if they had the Pfizer vaccine I would have had to prove that I had Type 2 Diabetes) they were indicating that they didn't believe us. Now, why would we lie about something like that? And, again, we both had two serious risk factors staring them right in the face. In other words, demanding proof of a third risk factor implied that we might be lying to them and that's insulting. And, in the end, what would have hurt to simply give us the booster shots. Would there have been a danger if they gave my wife the booster shot and she could only prove that she had two serious risk factors? So why would they refuse to give my wife the booster shot?
I should mention that my daughter, who is 51, had earlier in the week gone to a pharmacy and gotten the booster shot as did her husband who has no risk factors. In addition, when she informed other friends and family members, they got the booster shot too, some without having any risk factors at all.
So, I'm disappointed with our pharmacy. My wife will probably continue to go there because it's the closest pharmacy but if I ever need medications, I'll find another pharmacy. read more
