What should you do if your usual pharmacy is closed right now?

Philadelphia has experienced extensive protests since May, as thousands of people have taken to the streets to oppose police brutality in the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Walter Wallace Jr., among others.

As a result, the city has seen heightened police activity, city curfews, and business closures — among them, pharmacies. CVS, for example, saw more than 250 stores in 21 states damaged earlier this year, a CVS Health representative said.

Now, with ongoing protests and a city curfew scheduled for 9 p.m., some pharmacies are reportedly closing early — though, according to a statement from the city, some business including pharmacies may “choose to operate only for delivery services later than 9:00 p.m.” But as Dave Thompson, 50, who lives near 63rd and Lansdowne, told the Inquirer that some residents feel that impact.

“A lot of people had to go shopping and they couldn’t go shopping because all the shopping places are closed, from ShopRite to Rite Aid and all these shopping centers in the neighborhood — because they got ransacked,” Thompson said. "So that puts everybody in a bind — you can’t get anything to eat, you can’t get your medications. It’s rough.”

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If you are having trouble getting your medication at your usual pharmacy, you may be able to get it elsewhere. Pennsylvania’s Pharmacy Act allows pharmacies to transfer prescriptions to other pharmacies.

“The access to medicine is essential,” said state Department of Health spokesman Nate Wardle. “The department frequently recommends that during a disaster, people take steps to ensure they have extra medication on hand should they not be able to get to the pharmacy. This time is no different. Individuals should work with their physician and pharmacies that are open to make sure they have access to their medication.”

Here is what you need to know:

Should your regular pharmacy be closed, the first step is to try to contact that location to see if your prescription can be transferred. Or, if your usual pharmacy is part of a chain, said Philadelphia Department of Public Health director of communications James Garrow, you may be able to go to another location in that chain.

“You should first go to another store in the same pharmacy chain, because all stores within a chain will have your prescription information,” Garrow said.

Some chains, such as CVS, may set up call-forwarding services that will connect you to a nearby location if you call your usual store and it is closed. That way, “all patients will continue to have access to care,” said Amy Thibault, CVS Health senior manager of corporate communications.

“There can be a delay for this automatic phone transfer to occur due to the status of neighboring stores as well, so customers should continue to check back to be directed to the nearest open store,” Thibault added.

If you are unable to find a store that is part of your usual pharmacy chain, Garrow said that the next step may be to try finding an open store that is part of another chain. That way, you may be able to have your prescription transferred.

“Go to an open store from a different pharmacy chain and ask the pharmacist to request your prescription information from the chain you regularly go to,” Garrow said.

When choosing a new store to pick up your medication, you may be able to price it out via the website GoodRX.com. That site allows you to check the cost of prescriptions at various pharmacies, and may offer a discount.

Garrow added that if your usual pharmacy is not part of a chain, or other pharmacists are unable to get your information, you should contact your physician for a new prescription.

“The patient will need a new prescription from their prescriber that can be filled by an open pharmacy,” said Laura Weis, the Pennsylvania Department of State’s deputy director of communications.

However, said Michael Ingeno, a retired pharmacist with more than 30 years of experience at Bryn Mawr Hospital and Pennsylvania Hospital, you may need to provide an open pharmacy where your doctor can send your prescription. So this route may require some legwork.

“The doctor can write, say, one month’s worth of a blood pressure prescription,” Ingeno said. “The doctor will ask you where to send it. You need to know a pharmacy that is open.”

Staff writer Wendy Ruderman contributed to this article.