WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health has rolled out its first pharmacy-focused, apothecary-style CVS Pharmacy location in Washington, DC. The new pharmacy, located at 3701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, will help bridge gaps in pharmacy care and make it easier for community members to access medications, immunizations and other health care services provided by pharmacists.
Pharmacy-focused locations, like the New Hampshire Avenue NW pharmacy, will open in select communities across the country, maintaining access to vital pharmacy care. Each site will feature a full-service pharmacy with a customized selection of over-the-counter products available for purchase. With footprints averaging around 3,000 square feet, the pharmacy-focused sites will help ensure patients have access to prescription medications and the trusted advice and counsel of their neighborhood CVS pharmacist.
“Pharmacists are among the most accessible and most trusted health care providers,” said Len Shankman, executive vice president and president, Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness, CVS Health. “We know how important it is for patients to be able to speak one-on-one with their pharmacist, have their questions answered and seek medication advice when needed. Our new, pharmacy-focused locations allow our pharmacy teams to continue to build relationships with patients – their friends and neighbors – and provide on the ground pharmacy care in communities that need us.”
Multiple pharmacy formats to meet community health needs
The pharmacy-focused locations are just one component of the company’s work to reinvent pharmacy. By taking a customized approach focused on the diverse needs of the communities they serve, CVS Pharmacy has worked to strategically realign its retail footprint over the last few years. The new pharmacy-focused sites, opening in select communities, will help the company better support its patients in those communities, ensuring its footprint is the right size and scale, and addressing shifts in the pharmacy industry.
These smaller dedicated neighborhood pharmacies join several other formats already in place across the country. They include CVS Pharmacy’s traditional full-service front store and pharmacy locations, store-in-store pharmacies, such as those inside Target and Schnucks
grocery stores, CVS Pharmacy stores that feature a MinuteClinic retail medical clinic, and side-by-side CVS Pharmacy and Oak Street Health care centers, primarily located in neighborhoods with high Medicaid populations.
The company has opened pharmacy-focused locations in Birmingham, AL, Chicago, IL and Detroit, MI. The company also plans to open more than 40 new CVS Pharmacy locations, including traditional stores and pharmacies in Target.
The New Hampshire NW Avenue pharmacy will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A sidewalk party for the community will be held on Tuesday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to noon with product giveaways and opportunities to meet with the pharmacy team.
Importance of one-on-one interactions with pharmacists The 2025 CVS Health Rx Report highlighted that 80% of patients prefer face-to-face pharmacy care, and nearly half (48%) would switch pharmacies if limited to digital-only options. The overwhelming majority of pharmacy professionals (97%) also say in-person interactions remain vital.
Added Shankman, “We believe health care is best delivered locally, in the community by trusted, caring and tech-enabled colleagues and our customers and patients want to shop and engage in the way that’s most convenient for their busy lives. Whether in-person, online, or a combination of the two, our community pharmacies are delivering best-in-class service through consistent, connected, personalized experiences – meeting consumers where, when and how they need us.”
“Our team is excited to serve our patients in a brand new -pharmacy-only location, said Tyler Sahin, pharmacy manager, CVS Pharmacy. “While our site will be smaller in size, it will have a big focus on pharmacy service and patient care. Our team has developed authentic connections with its patients over the years and we’re looking forward to continuing to develop those relationships at our new community pharmacy.”
The company operates more than 35 CVS Pharmacy locations in Washington, DC, including the new pharmacy-focused site. Customers looking for CVS Pharmacy’s full product assortment – including groceries, household, and beauty items – can visit any traditional CVS store, including nearby locations at 1755 Columbia Road NW and 2129 14th Street NW. Whether a patient prefers the convenience of same-day or 1- to 2-day prescription delivery or prefers to visit their local pharmacy in-person, CVS Pharmacy is ensuring patients have multiple care options to choose from, depending on their individual needs.
