The CVS on York Road shut its doors on Feb. 5 after years of serving the Baltimore area. The closing of this particular CVS location has raised concerns among members of the Loyola community.
One of the biggest benefits of this CVS was its proximity to Loyola’s campus, where students would rely on the store for important items such as vitamins, health products, and medications. With the Baltimore location closing, students are having difficulty trying to relocate and research adequate places to have their prescriptions delivered to.
Katherine An ‘27, has been getting her prescriptions from the local CVS for several years. She shared how the closing has impacted her.
“I get my prescriptions from the York Road CVS. I’m really sad about having to move them [the prescriptions] to another CVS location, mainly because of how close to school it was,” An said.
Besides being a staple location for students to get their prescriptions and other health essentials, the local CVS offered a variety of other items that students are concerned about not being able to find elsewhere.
Similarly, David Bierworth ‘26, shared his concerns about the closing of this particular CVS location.
“I am really disappointed because I would always get my food and drinks from there. I will try to go to Iggys or Royal Farms, but they don’t always have what I’m looking for,” Bierworth said.
Upon entering the CVS, there were rows of empty shelves and moving boxes filled with unsold merchandise. While the closing of this specific CVS location comes as a shock to some, there are others who were not surprised by the way things turned out.
York Road CVS employee, Kolin Gipson, shared insights as to why this location is closing its doors to the public.
“I’ve worked here for nine months, and I could tell the store was going to close down in the first few months that I was here. During my interview, the general manager warned me that this location in particular had a problem with people stealing,” Gipson said.
The general manager shared that there were three “regulars” who came to the local CVS, but Gipson noted seeing at least seven people come into the store that would walk in with empty, reusable bags leaving with them filled to the top.
“I would say after two months, the security guards wouldn’t stop anyone who they suspected of stealing since they were unarmed,” Gipson said.
York Road’s CVS has been a staple in the Baltimore community and provided easy accessibility to students with their health and medical needs. Though this will be an adjustment for many members of the school community, Loyola shuttles are now offering transportation to Walgreens on York Road as an alternative.
