LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (KERO) — The Rite Aid in Lake Isabella is officially slated to close according to signage on the door, the sign saying the pharmacy inside the location will close on July 8, the store in its entirety will close on July 27.
23ABC attempted to interview two employees on site, but they said they were not at liberty to talk on camera.
The closure of this location comes as the company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is one of the many in Kern County who have an official closure date, leaving just one pharmacy in the Kern River Valley, Mesa Clinical Pharmacy in Mountain Mesa.
On Monday we spoke to two Kern River Valley residents walking out of the drug store to get their thoughts on the situation. Heather Atkisson, said she attempted to fill a prescription on Monday, but was unable to, now she says she’s between a rock and a hard place, having to drive to Bakersfield or Ridgecrest to get her medicine.
“I'll be going one or the other, I guess, but that's a lot. Even coming from Wofford heights, which is just eight miles up the road, is difficult enough, but to go that far, it's gonna be a problem,” said Atkisson.
“I'm assuming you know you were able to fill the prescription today?” asked 23ABC.
“I was not able to today and I'm diabetic, and they are out of my medication, and I do not know what I'm going to do now, so.”
Paul Becker, who’s lived in the area for nearly a decade says it’s obviously frustrating for people in the area, but he’s hopeful a new pharmacy will open the location soon after the rite aid’s closure.
“The hope is that we can get this restored, this Rite Aid, and this drugstore is like a hub, you know? People come in, they get their prescriptions, they get some things they need, and they're on their way back home in no time," said Becker. "You know the the elderly community out here needs a place like that that you can just walk into rather than order online and wait for it to be delivered.”
We did reach out to the Rite Aid Media representative late last week and again on Monday, we did not hear back by news time.
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