GIBSONBURG, Ohio — The CVS pharmacy in the village of Gibsonburg is closing at the end of August, leaving residents in the community concerned.
"It's a pillar of this community. It's a staple in our downtown," said Gibsonburg Mayor Steven Fought.
The impacts can be varied, including higher costs for transportation and older people having more difficulty accessing critical medication.
"It's been widely successful for decades in this town and it's a big hurt to our community to lose that piece. It's just massive," Fought added.
Residents WTOL 11 spoke with say they will be forced to drive half an hour or more to get their prescriptions filled.
Gibsonburg resident Pauline Titterton says the closure is cause for concern and will leave people scrambling to find a new pharmacy.
"For myself, personally, I have post-traumatic stress disorder from working in the prison system for 20 years in Australia," she said. "I have trouble going into places that I don't know. There is no way I drive to Fremont."
Some corporations now have a section in their lease that there is a use-and-restriction of the premises two years after they leave, meaning it will impact landlords trying to have another pharmacy operated at the location.
"I cannot get another pharmacy in there for two years. That's devastating for small communities. Rebuilding is almost impossible," said Rebecca Montgomery, a landlord in Gibsonburg.
Area pharmacist Michael Warren says a pharmacy desert exists from Oak Harbor to Fostoria causing many people to potentially go without service.
"It's going to be tough for them to keep up with all that. Plus, people are not going to get the personal care because the pharmacists are going to be too busy to talk to them, which is a sad thing with pharmacy," Warren said.