CVS store at 7292 Fulton Drive NW in Jackson Township near Canton, Ohio. (Photo by Kevin Whitlock / Massillon Independent).
The Ohio Board of Pharmacy on Tuesday imposed stiff sanctions on a CVS pharmacy in Canton over short staffing in 2021 that the board concluded had endangered patient safety. The penalties could be the first of many against the company because the pharmacy board is yet to adjudicate violations its inspectors have alleged against 14 other CVS stores.
The board fined the company $250,000.
As a condition of its minimum three-year probation, the store “must ensure that sufficient personnel are scheduled at all times in order to minimize fatigue, distraction, or other conditions which interfere with a pharmacist’s ability to practice with requisite judgment, skill, competence, and safety to the public. Staffing levels shall not be solely based on prescription volume but, in determining the need for staff, CVS #2063 shall consider any other requirements of the practice of pharmacy by pharmacy personnel during working hours.”