Pharmacies in Lower Burrell, Leechburg abruptly close

Customers of certain pharmacies in Lower Burrell and Leechburg have to find somewhere else to fill their prescriptions.

Burrell Health Mart Pharmacy located in Stewart Plaza, Lower Burrell, and Leechburg Health Mart Pharmacy located on Market Street in downtown Leechburg closed Wednesday, without prior notice.

The news, however, quickly spread among social media groups.

A third Health Mart location in Vandergrift will remain open, according to co-owner and pharmacist Paul Tallarom.

“We’re hoping to keep it up and running,” Tallarom said. “We take care of our customers. That’s how we stay in business.”

Burrell Health Mart co-owner and pharmacist David Sevic confirmed the closings Wednesday.

He said prescriptions are being transferred to Giant Eagle’s pharmacy.

Sevic declined to provide a reason for the closing, but Leechburg Health Mart co-owner and pharmacist Alex Micklow said a lawsuit between CVS and Osterhaus Pharmacy and ongoing reimbursement issues with insurance companies contributed to the closings.

“Reimbursements are so bad, we’ve lost $100,000 since Dec. 1, 2023,” said Micklow, who has been in business since 1977. “It’s horrible. This is not what I wanted to do.”

Micklow, who plans to retire, employed 15 workers in Lower Burrell. He said the business has been on the market for about a year, with no buyer.

“I apologize. This was forced on us by the business environment,” Micklow said, adding that keeping mum about the impending closing, “was stipulated in the sales agreement with Giant Eagle.”

Jannah Jablonowski, Giant Eagle public relations manager, confirmed that all prescriptions from the Health Mart locations will be transferred to area Giant Eagle Pharmacy locations.

Prescriptions from the Lower Burrell Health Mart will be sent to the Giant Eagle Pharmacy within Community Market, and prescriptions from the Leechburg Health Mart will be sent to the Giant Eagle Pharmacy within the Allegheny Towne Center Giant Eagle.

If any customer would rather their prescription be filled at a different pharmacy, they can call Giant Eagle, she said.

State Rep. Abby Major, R-Leechburg, said the sudden closures left many customers feeling “rightfully upset.”

“I was very saddened to hear about the closure of two community pharmacies in the 60th District today, with very little notice to customers and employees,” Major said. “A lot of people are upset about that and want to go somewhere else,” Major said.

Major spoke with Dave Cippel of Klingensmith’s Pharmacy in Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Leechburg, and Cippel said Klingensmith’s will work with members from both communities to make sure there are no lapses in medications for customers if they chose to use Klingensmith’s.

“Giant Eagle Pharmacy is working to provide impacted Health Mart employees with job opportunities,” Jablonowski said.

Jablonowski said Giant Eagle has about 85 open retail pharmacy positions.

“Klingensmith’s has encouraged displaced employees to apply to them as well,” Major said, referring to the only other pharmacy in Leechburg.

“It’s terrible. I’ve been doing this for 30 years,” Sevic said. “It’s upsetting to me. It’s upsetting to the customers.”

Employees worked to pack up boxes Wednesday between handling customers’ last pharmacy orders at the Lower Burrell location, which had been in business since 2003.

Sevic said he will take a job at Community Market Giant Eagle Pharmacy in Lower Burrell, but there is no word on where his employees can go.

The employees have the opportunity to interview at the Giant Eagle pharmacy but, as of Wednesday, were out of jobs, Sevic said.

“I want to thank the customers for all of their support,” Sevic said.

Lower Burrell resident Thomas Decker had a tear in his eye when he heard the news of the closing Wednesday morning.

Decker handles prescriptions for five relatives. He said he left Giant Eagle eight years ago and chose Burrell Health Mart for what he said was wonderful small-town customer service.

“I’m very sad. I wanted the local guy, and not I’m going to be in phone hell with big-box pharma. The big pharmacies are taking over, and I think it’s a shame the small-business owner who knows me is gone,” Decker said. “I was in and out here, and now I’m concerned about the quality of customer service.

“I was absolutely a person here and, now, I’ll be a prescription number.”

Lower Burrell Mayor Chris Fabry said he was shocked and saddened to hear the news.

“Burrell Health Mart has been a staple in our community. Our No. 1 priority is making sure residents now know where to go to fill their prescriptions,” Fabry said. “Beyond that, we hope that another community pharmacy will help fill the void.

“It appears as though there is a transition plan in place for existing customers, but it’s important that the word gets spread around, and quickly.”

Fabry said city officials had no warning about the pharmacy closing.

Renea Pettner, 53, picked up her last prescription Wednesday at the Leechburg Health Mart.

“I was shocked. I had no idea. I found out on social media.”

A customer for 11 years, Pettner said she walks to the pharmacy and worries about others in Leechburg who do the same and don’t have transportation to another pharmacy.

“A lot of people in the high-rise depend on this. It’s a block away. They can walk.”

One of those residents is Kevin Tassos, 58. He said his prescriptions were delivered by Health Mart, but now he’ll have to walk to Klingensmith’s.

“I don’t have a car, and that’s what will hurt a lot of people here.”

Leechburg Health Mart sales clerk Carol McCain was in tears Wednesday as a flurry of customers waited to fill, transfer and get answers to questions on what’s next for their prescription needs.

“I gotta go find a job,” McCain said. “I worked here 30 hours a week.”

McCain, 68, said she learned her job was ending when she showed up for work Wednesday morning.

“For me, the hardest part is the customers — they’re great people,” McCain said. “I do want to add that they’ve been great people to work for. I’m sure they tried.”

Leechburg Mayor Doreen Smeal said the pharmacy closure is a setback for the borough and its residents.

“This is a very unfortunate loss for Leechburg. I wish we could keep the store open but realize this is a business decision,” she said. “We were close to getting all of the storefronts open, and we will have to work a little harder now. I hope that all of the employees will be OK and will find employment quickly.”

Leechburg Councilman Chuck Pascal was critical of how the closing was handled.

“This isn’t a restaurant. It’s a pharmacy,” he said, ”and people count on it to be there. Notice to customers who have prescriptions would have been appreciated.”

Pascal noted customers aren’t required to have their prescriptions filled at Giant Eagle. They can call the pharmacy of their choice to have their prescriptions transferred.