CVS closing its store on East Main Street in Plymouth on May 2

Mar. 21—PLYMOUTH — The CVS Pharmacy on East Main Street will close May 2, corporate officials confirmed Thursday.

Located across the street from the Dan Flood Senior Apartments, the closing will have an impact on many seniors in Plymouth and surrounding towns. CVS is the only pharmacy in Plymouth.

Amy Thibault, lead director of external communications at CVS Pharmacy corporate headquarters in Rhode Island, issued a statement on behalf of the company:

"We've made the difficult decision to close the CVS Pharmacy at 125 East Main Street in Plymouth on May 2.

"All prescriptions will be transferred to the CVS Pharmacy at 702 San Souci Parkway in Wilkes-Barre to ensure patients have uninterrupted access to pharmacy care.

"Patients can always choose to fill their prescriptions at any CVS Pharmacy, or the pharmacy of their choice, if another is more convenient.

"Employees are being offered comparable roles within the company.

"Maintaining access to pharmacy services in the communities we serve is an important factor we consider when making store closure decisions. Other factors include local market dynamics, population shifts, a community's store density, and ensuring there are other geographic access points to meet the needs of the community.

"We'll continue to provide the community with outstanding service at the 12 remaining CVS Pharmacy locations in Luzerne County. We also offer prescription home delivery service to eligible patients through CVS.com and the CVS Pharmacy app to provide additional convenient access to medications."

Ron Kobusky, Plymouth Borough Council President, said the news of the closing came as a shock.

"This will devastate not only Plymouth, but also Larksville, Plymouth Township and all the way to Hunlock Creek. So many people stop at CVS every day. It's always busy in that store. This decision can't be because of a lack of business."

Kobusky noted that many senior citizens don't drive, and those living at the Dan Flood complex can just walk across the street for their medications, food and other items.

Kobusky said he has also reached out to State Rep. Alex Ryncavage and U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright to see what they can do to help.

"We need to find another pharmacy chain to move to Plymouth," Kobusky said.

Alexis Eroh, President of Plymouth Alive and a member of Council, said the situation is regrettable.

"It's very unfortunate for the residents of Plymouth, especially senior citizens who rely on CVS for so much," Eroh said. "They rely on CVS as a retail outlet for nearly everything, but the biggest void will be the lack of having a pharmacy in town, especially for those without transportation."

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.