LAKE MEADOWS — Seventeen months after the departure of Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy welcomed neighbors to its new location inside Lake Meadows Shopping Center Wednesday, filling a critical healthcare gap in the community.

CVS executives and staff were joined by Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th) for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the store, 3429 S. King Drive, where they held a sidewalk celebration with snacks, giveaways and health screenings.

Robinson thanked the company for stepping in when Walgreens shuttered five Chicago area stores — including the longtime location inside the shopping center where it served customers for over 30 years.

“We are meeting community members where they are. We know that depending on your zip code, that is a direct connection to your life expectancy,” said Robinson, adding the CVS will be hosting quarterly health screenings at the shopping center as well.

The roughly 3,000-square-foot location will offer prescription medications, immunizations, pharmacist consultations and other health care services, along with a selection of over-the-counter products.

There won’t be the usual store with food, beauty products and other essentials seen in a typical CVS, however.

The new store is CVS’ second pharmacy-focused location to open in Chicago this year. The company recently opened an outpost at 71st Street and Jeffery Boulevard, and plans to open another at 95th Street and Jeffery in the coming months.

The healthcare provider’s recent expansion comes five years after CVS announced a plan to close 900 stores across the country.

“We’re expecting lots of volume,” said Amanda Pinkney, District Leader for CVS Health. “When customers are looking for healthcare, the one thing they want is access and support. They want somebody who they can trust, who they can connect with, who’ll give quality medical advice to them in a way that’s easy for them to get to.”

The company says the smaller stores are intended to make pharmacy care more accessible and give customers more opportunities to speak directly with pharmacists about their medications and healthcare.

During Wednesday’s opening event, CVS offered free checkups where residents were screened for blood pressure, glucose and body mass index while speaking with medical professionals and receiving information about local health resources.

CVS has opened similar pharmacy-focused locations in Birmingham, Houston, Detroit and Washington, D.C., with plans to open nearly 20 additional locations nationwide.

The company also plans to open more than 40 new CVS Pharmacy locations this year, including traditional stores and pharmacies inside Target stores.

For South Side residents, the Lake Meadows location adds another option for filling prescriptions and accessing basic health services close to home.

It’s a relief for neighbors like Brenda Wilson, who was one of the pharmacy’s first customers when it opened Wednesday. Before this, she told Block Club, she’d have to travel to the Near West Side to pick up her prescriptions.

“They’re gonna bring in a lot of customers. It’s nice and clean. I’m grateful for this [pharmacy] because I live right across the street, so I could walk over here,” said Wilson.

The pharmacy will be open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.

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