Pharmacies hit hard by looting work to fill prescriptions for patients amid shortages

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The pharmacy is open despite the despite the plywood.

"It's very sad ... the community needs are so great. Patients need their medicines," said Pam Jones, a pharmacist at M&R Prescription Center.

Jones said last Sunday morning the window of M&R Prescription Center were broken and someone stole drugs.

Some medications were already in short supply, Jones said the situation is made worse by limited mail deliveries.

"It's terrible how can have a business do business when you can't expect shipment from

your suppliers, your vendors..it makes it almost possible ," Jones said.

Jones said she is trying to restock and get her patients their medications. Many other pharmacies across the state are also trying get back to business after last week's robberies

Garth Reynolds is the executive director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association. He said they are trying to ease the access to wholesale drug manufacturers for pharmacies.

"We've not seen this kind of widespread stress on the system," Reynolds said. "Any time we've seen stress like this it was more localized to a state or a region."

For Jones, the current situations challenges her oath to do no harm.

"When I tell them I will have their medicines for you tomorrow, and I don't have their medicines tomorrow," she said. "And, I may not even be able to transfer to another pharmacy that might have the medicines because they are closed, how am I not doing any harm?"

The second generation family owned pharmacy continues to try to uphold that oath.