Pharmacists Nationwide Have Said Pizza Is Not Working. Instead, They Want Better Labor Conditions.

Arlington TX

24 December, 2021

3:30 PM

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By Alexis Allison, Fort Worth Report December 22, 2021 Bonnie Woody became a pharmacist, sometimes known as the "most accessible" health care professional, largely for the patient interaction. She's worked at the same store now for more than a decade — the Tom Thumb pharmacy at South Hulen Street and Bellaire Drive in Fort Worth. "That's a lot of life lived with people, both good and bad," she said. When the pandemic began, Woody watched as lines of people wrapped around the grocery story. A self-described "helper," she did what she could to assuage her patients' fears. No, she couldn't help them stockpile medicine. Yes, the pharmacists would still take care of them. When some of her patients contracted COVID-19, Woody personally dropped medications off at their homes. But as COVID-19 tests and then vaccines and then boosters became a necessary addition to Woody's workflow, other tasks, like taking inventory, fell by the wayside. Longstanding pharmacy offerings — like walk-in vaccines — came and went. "I have patients that literally I have done every shot for them for a decade that I'm having to tell, like, 'Pam, I'm sorry, I can't do this for you. We have to do it by appointment because we're short-handed, yada yada.' To read the full article, click here. Fort Worth Report is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that produces factual, in-depth journalism about city and county government, schools, healthcare, business, and arts and culture in Tarrant County. Always free to read; subscribe to newsletters, read coverage or support our newsroom at fortworthreport.org.