Gov. Jim Justice is drawing attention to the planned closure of a pharmacy in the state.
On Monday, the governor sent an open letter to the president of Walgreens urging the company to reconsider their decision to close their location in Parsons, Tucker County.
In the letter, Justice said Mayor Bruce Kolsum “expressed deep distress over the impact” of the closure and that the manager of the Walgreens in question was unaware of the decision until recently.
During his weekly media briefing, Justice reiterated the impact the sudden closure will have on the community just as it is poised to connect to Corridor H.
“This community needs a Walgreens and needs a Walgreens really bad,” Justice said. “I’m gonna do everything I possibly can to try to urge the folks at Walgreens to keep it there, because I do believe that it will be tremendously successful going forward.”
Walgreens announced earlier this year it plans to close 150 locations across the country by August 2024.
Asked later in the briefing how he plans to address the closure, which may happen as soon as Dec. 14, Justice said he did not have an immediate solution.
“I really don’t know how we fill the void from a private entity closing, and I don’t know how we do that,” he said.
Justice once again highlighted Parsons’ proximity to the Corridor H currently under construction.
“This is a nationwide program that they’re closing down so many Walgreens across the nation and everything,” Justice said. “They ought to absolutely pay really close attention to the fact that a major artery in this nation is going right through the middle of this town.”