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Clear skies. Low around 60F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Clear skies. Low around 60F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

The pharmacy at Save Mart on Mono Way in Sonora has come under fire by patients and medical professionals for being unable to fill prescriptions for certain pain and anxiety medications that are considered controlled substances.

The pharmacy at Save Mart on Mono Way in Sonora has come under fire by patients and medical professionals for being unable to fill prescriptions for certain pain and anxiety medications that are considered controlled substances.

The Save Mart store on Mono Way in Sonora will soon permanently close its pharmacy doors as part of the supermarket chain’s recently announced plans to move all of its pharmacy services to Walgreens.

Victoria Castro, spokeswoman for The Save Mart Companies, confirmed the transition to The Union Democrat on Friday. She said it was “completely unrelated” to a recent audit at the Sonora store’s pharmacy because of the high volume of controlled substances it was filling.

“Walgreens is a trusted resource that will continue to serve our customers and the Sonora community in this specialized area,” Castro stated in the email.

Currently, the closest Walgreens location to Tuolumne County is a roughly 45-minute drive away in Oakdale. 

The statement sent by Castro did not indicate when the pharmacy in Sonora and others will close, and she did not respond to a follow-up inquiry about the timing prior to the deadline for publication. 

Several media outlets have reported all of the company’s pharmacies will close either next week or in September.

Kingswood Capital Management LP, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles, purchased the Modesto-based grocery chain in March from the Piccinini family, which had owned and operated it since opening the first store in 1952. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

There are 89 Save Mart stores with pharmacies in California and Nevada that will be affected by the transition, including the one in Angels Camp. All pharmacies at Lucky grocery stores, which are also under The Save Mart Companies banner, will also be shuttered.

“Our Save Mart and Lucky Pharmacy staff will work closely with their patients to make this transition of services as convenient and seamless as possible,” Castro stated.

Walgreens has “expressed great interest in hiring and has the intention to hire” as many of the former Save Mart pharmacy employees as possible, Castro stated, but how many would be affected at the Mono Way store was unclear.

“We remain committed to serving our local communities in health and wellness for all their grocery needs, as well as further developing our innovative technologies and tools that enhance the lives of our associates, customers and communities we serve,” Castro stated.

The pharmacy at the Save Mart store on Mono Way was thrust into the spotlight in April after coming under an audit that rendered it unable to fill prescriptions of drugs classified as controlled substances, which includes opioids and medications for treating anxiety and seizures.

Save Mart said at the time that the audit was brought on by the “high volume of controlled substances being prescribed by providers in the area and filled by our pharmacy.”

Dr. Kimberly Freeman, who became the new permanent health officer for Tuolumne County in April, pointed out in response to the Save Mart situation that the county had the highest number of opioid prescriptions per capita of all 58 California counties in 2020.

Many people who got their prescriptions filled at the Save Mart on Mono Way were forced to find pharmacies outside of the county that would take them, due to others in the area already being at the limit of they’re allowed to dispense under current regulations for controlled substances.

The pharmacy issue isn’t the only controversy surrounding Save Mart since the chain was sold in March.

Bloomberg Law reported on Friday that four Save Mart retirees have filed a class action lawsuit in California federal court that accuses the company of wrongfully terminating its retiree health plan for nonunion employees despite promising them they would be covered for life.

One of the reported plaintiffs, Kathy Baker, was among a group of former employees who told The Modesto Bee that they received letters in late April telling them their supplemental health care benefits would end after June.

Kingswood, which previously acquired the Alameda-based Cost Plus World Market grocery chain in January 2021 from Bed Bath and Beyond, said in March when it acquired the roughly 200 Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx stores from the Piccinini family that its goal was to “make good businesses even better.”

“The Save Mart Companies presents us with a great opportunity to do so,” Alex Wolf, managing partner and founder of Kingswood, said in a statement at the time. “Their 70 years of history in the Central Valley provides a strong foundation for future profitable growth, and we look forward to working with Chris and the team to position these iconic grocery brands for the future.”

Contact Alex MacLean at amaclean@uniondemocrat.com or (209) 588-4541.