Students have had to change pharmacies after Quadrangle Pharmacy temporarily closed earlier this month. (Mac Motz | Staff Photographer)

Habif Health and Wellness Center’s Quadrangle Pharmacy, located on the South 40, closed indefinitely due to its pharmacist unexpectedly leaving WashU on Nov. 5.

According to Habif Executive Director Cheri LeBlanc, the pharmacist left with no advance notice. 

This closure means that students who usually go to Habif to pick up their medications will now have to transfer pharmacies. The Habif website describes Quadrangle Pharmacy, LLC as being located in the Student Health Center and available to all faculty, staff, and students of WashU and their dependents.

A WashU sophomore who wanted to remain anonymous due to medical privacy concerns was getting all four of their medications from Quadrangle Pharmacy before the closure, but, due to a lack of communication, did not transfer their medications in time.

“I called my doctor, and it was too late, and she couldn’t do anything because [the pharmacy] was closed … so then I just went the weekend without the medications,” they said. “I was very stressed. I was upset. I still have no idea why they were closed or what happened.”

According to LeBlanc’s email comment to Student Life, Habif reached out to all students with prescriptions waiting at Quadrangle Pharmacy and arranged transfers to pharmacies of their choice. Habif also reached out to students who had filled prescriptions with the pharmacy to alert them of the need to transfer their refills to another pharmacy. Without a certified pharmacist, Habif is not able to distribute the remainder of the medications they have in stock. 

They wrote in an email that the closure was “due to unforeseen circumstances” and suggested alternative pharmacy options, including CVS on the Delmar Loop and other large name-brand pharmacies.

However, the anonymous student said they never received the above email, nor any other notice of the closure, and found out about the closure after calling Habif.

First-year Peter Eiswert emphasized the lack of transparency between Habif and the student body, especially around the specific reasoning for the pharmacy’s closure.

“I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know why they’re closed,” Eiswert said.

The sophomore student felt that Habif was not helpful in figuring out a solution to their dilemma caused by the pharmacy’s unexpected closure.

“I had three [medications] that were going to run out by that time. So I sent an email, and [Habif] said, ‘We can’t do anything for you, including we can’t transfer them out for you. So you have to call your doctor and get your doctor to transfer them to a different pharmacy,’” they said.

In addition to not knowing why they were closed and dealing with the transfer process, Eiswert said that the other pharmacy locations were less convenient for him as a student living on the South 40.

“Having my meds there [at Habif] is very helpful. I can just walk down there and get them, but they were closed without a lot of warning, and then I had to change … to the CVS on the Loop,” Eiswert said. “I haven’t even gone yet because it’s kind of a hassle to get there.”

WashU does not allow first-years to have cars on campus. Options for getting to the pharmacy on the Loop include the WashU Delmar Loop Shuttle, which drops students off approximately two minutes walking distance away from the CVS. Otherwise, the walk to the CVS on the Loop from the South 40 is approximately 30 minutes, according to Google Maps.

LeBlanc said the health center hopes to reopen the pharmacy as soon as possible; however, it could take a while due to the approval process for opening a position for hire.

“At this time, all open positions in the University need to be reviewed for approval to fill the position and post it,” LeBlanc wrote. “We are currently waiting on this process. If approved, we will then work as quickly as possible to fill the position and reopen.”

Following the closure, Ability WashU, a group for disabled students and supporters, put out a guide on how to navigate the closure including instructions on how to transfer a prescription.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 1:10 p.m. on Nov. 22 to include the information provided by Ability WashU in response to the closure.