Community helps to keep local pharmacy open
Mountainair community hopes to keep Mountainair Meds and More
By Alyssa Munoz
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MOUNTAINAIR, New Mexico (KOAT) — Mountainair community hopes to keep Mountainair Meds and More, a local pharmacy, open.
Kathleen West, also known as KC, has owned the pharmacy since the early 2000s. She said that, besides her store, the closest pharmacy to them is in Belen. But, after the pandemic and competition from national chains, West said the store’s future isn’t looking good.
“Basically, in the last two years, when it really bottomed out, that’s when I started taking on loans, and the loans are eating me alive now, too,” West said.
West would not only lose her business, but locals who count on it might have to start taking road trips to get to the closest pharmacy.
“When we’re out here, and you have a 50-mile drive and 50-mile drive back. That’s your whole days’ worth,” said Margaret Arelt, a friend of West.
“There are a lot of people in town that get their prescriptions from there; it’s a necessary function. Maybe they (residents) don’t have functioning cars, or they can’t drive 50 miles to the Walmart or Walgreens,” said Ann McCloud, owner of B Street Market.
With the community’s help, West is getting donations and working to get grants to keep her doors open.
“I could make a lot more money working some other place, but this is my home,” said West.
“I think we need to go back to the values of having mom-and-pop stores and keep the dollars in the town. When you give your dollars to a corporate entity, whether it’s a dollar store, a Walgreens, a Walmart, that money doesn’t get put back in the town. It leaves the community,” said McCloud.
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