Johns Hopkins US Family Health Plan members must use Walgreens pharmacies for prescription medications. The surge of COVID-19 cases and a labor shortage have resulted in isolated instances in which Walgreens has adjusted operating hours or temporarily closed a limited number of stores. The vast majority of stores remain unaffected, and Walgreens remains committed to uninterrupted service for our members, should you experience an unexpected closure or change in pharmacy hours.
How to find an open Walgreens Pharmacy
If you arrive at a Walgreens that is closed, in most cases there will be signage that informs visitors of the closest Walgreens location and their normal operating hours. Walgreens also has updated pharmacy operating hours on the Walgreens mobile app and Walgreens.com (click “Find a Store” under the menu). While the Walgreens app and Walgreens.com are highly accurate, they do not take into account the unexpected closures that happen due to COVID-19 cases. For this reason, we also recommend you call the pharmacy prior to your arrival.
Obtaining your medication from the open Walgreens Pharmacy
In most cases (See information below on Class 2 Controlled Substances) the open Walgreens Pharmacy will be able to transfer your ready prescription from the closed location without issue. You can speak to the pharmacy staff about transferring the prescription from the closed location, either by calling or visiting an open store. Let the pharmacy staff know you will wait, and they will work to get your prescription filled as soon as possible.
There are State Board of Pharmacy regulations that prevent the transfer of Class 2 Controlled Substances (Vicodin, Percocet, Adderall, Oxycontin, etc.). You will need a new written or e-prescribed prescription or you will have to wait until the closed pharmacy reopens. The pharmacist on duty can reach out to the prescriber to determine if they are willing to provide another prescription. In some cases the provider will want to speak to both the pharmacy and the patient before sending a new prescription.
Same day and 1-2 business day delivery
In the event you are looking to not make another trip to the pharmacy, you can request your prescription be delivered through our “Same Day Delivery” or “1-2 Business Day Delivery” options. You can request these when talking with the pharmacy team, or visit Walgreens.com to initiate the request.
“Same Day Delivery” has a charge that is based on the courier and location. If you select this delivery option, the order must be received prior to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends. While most prescriptions are expected to be delivered the same day, some deliveries may not be eligible for delivery due to prescription type, delivery address, holidays, weather or other delivery constraints.
“1-2 Day Delivery” is currently a free delivery service offered by Walgreens. This service can also be initiated by the pharmacy team or through Walgreens.com. While most prescriptions are expected to be delivered in the 1-2 day timeframe, some deliveries may not be eligible for delivery due to prescription type, delivery address, holidays, weather or other delivery constraints.
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