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Baker City Council vets interim pharmacy options after Safeway and Rite Aid closures
Summary
City staff reported two chain pharmacy closures left Baker with no full retail pharmacy; staff described a possible temporary county-supported pharmacy, and a developer application to reopen a pharmacy in the Pioneer Building will require a code text amendment and state notice before hearings.
City staff told the Baker City Council on Aug. 12 that Baker lost two retail pharmacy locations—Safeway and Rite Aid—within weeks of each other, leaving the city without an immediate full‑service pharmacy. The city and county are evaluating two tracks: a temporary, emergency pharmacy arrangement the county could enable and a longer path to reopen a permanent retail pharmacy at the Pioneer Building downtown.
The temporary option would require the county to declare an emergency and coordinate with the Oregon Health Authority and county emergency management to bring a short‑term pharmacy capability to Baker, staff said. Council members asked whether the closures qualify as an emergency and encouraged…
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