Publix to offer curbside pickup of prescriptions at most locations in Lakeland and Southeast

Publix Pharmacy began curbside prescription pickup in four states on Wednesday with plans to expand the program later throughout its entire operations within the Southeast, the grocer announced.

The program is up and running in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Virginia, with some pharmacies excluded, a Publix press release said.

North and South Carolina pharmacy locations plan to offer curbside pickup in the future, Publix said. The press release did not mention whether the program would become available at its new Kentucky store currently under construction.

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“Our customers enjoy the convenience of curbside pickup for their grocery orders, so we are excited to add prescriptions to that offering,” said Dain Rusk, Publix vice president of pharmacy.

The news release said pharmacy customers can select curbside pickup as they prepay for prescriptions through the Publix Pharmacy app or online at publixpharmacy.com.

Once they have driven to the parking area, arriving customers can then park in the spaces designated for curbside pickup, call the phone number on the sign and tell the store employee that they are ready for their order.

Curbside pickup for prescriptions is only available during pharmacy hours, Publix said. The service is no additional cost. Prepayment is made through the Publix app or website.

Many Publix stores have a pharmacy drive-thru window for additional access by customers in cars, but not all Publix have them.

Some drug pickups will remain in the stores, including controlled substances, prescriptions purchased through Medicare Part B and age-restricted medications, Publix said.

For the full list of participating pharmacies, customers can visit publix.com/rxcurbside.

Lakeland-based Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the United States, with nearly 1,300 stores and more than 230,000 employees in seven states throughout the Southeast, its website said. Three stores are planned for an eighth state, Kentucky, where one of those stores is now under construction.

Publix pharmacies dispense medications, offer patient counseling or administer patient care services. The pharmacies also host and sponsor community events such as the Atlanta Marathon, Gasparilla Health Week, flu clinics, screening programs and other health- and wellness-related events, the company website said.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Publix pharmacy customers can now pick up prescriptions curbside