More Denial of Care on the West Coast

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Grammy-Nominated Star Outraged When 24-Hour CVS Refuses Her Rx ‘Because Of The Neighborhood’

CARSON (CBSLA.com) — An R&B celebrity says a 24-hour CVS pharmacist refused to fill her prescription for painkillers in the middle of the night “because of the neighborhood.” Kelly Price lives in Carson and is convinced the pharmacist meant the vicinity is unsafe because it’s in a low-income area. She saw what happened as an attack on the community.

“I was offended for the people of this neighborhood. I was offended for anybody who lives in a neighborhood that may not be considered the upper echelon where expensive homes are, or where six- and seven-figure earners live,” said the seven-time Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter…

http://www.pharmaciststeve.com/?p=10371

Woman denied pain meds, new regulations to blame

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) – Jessica Barr loved gymnastics. But the sport didn’t always love her back. “It’s like football, great sport when you’re not injured,” she said. So, like many childhood gymnasts, Barr is paying for her time in the gym as an adult. She needed a knee replacement. And after shopping around for a surgeon, she chose one in the L.A. area.

The surgery went well, but pain is to be expected. “When I got home, pain-wise it was about a 7 to an 8,” she said. So Barr’s physician prescribed drugs for her pain – hydrocodone…

“We went to Northwest Pharmacy first,” she said. “Then we went to Rite Aid. Then I called Hina’s and then I called CVS… everybody said their store policy is they do not fill out-of-town prescriptions.” Frustrated, she called the Eyewitness News Tip Line.

“People go out of Bakersfield all the time to have surgeries done,” she said. “I started thinking about all the people that might be encountering the same situation I was encountering and it made me angry.” …