CVS Laying Off More Than 150 People In PA In Round Of Job Cuts

PENNSYLVANIA — CVS Health is laying off 157 workers at a Pennsylvania health care office as part of an effort to cut costs, according to the company and the state Department of Labor.

The news comes after the pharmacy and retail chain announced it would be laying off 5,000 workers across the United States, primarily in "non-customer facing positions."

The layoffs will be at the company's Aetna regional office in Blue Bell, according to the worker adjustment and retraining notification (WARN) notification filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

The layoffs at the Montgomery County will take place between Oct. 21 and Dec. 2023. The office at 1425 Union Meeting Road will remain open, according to a report in The Philadelphia Business Journal.

Mike DeAngelis, the executive director of corporate communications for CVS, told Patch that these layoffs are not expected to include employees working in the stores, pharmacies, clinics, or customer service centers. But in 2021, the company announced plans to close 900 stores within three years.

"Our industry is evolving to adapt to new consumer health needs and expectations," DeAngelis said. "As part of an enterprise initiative to reprioritize our investments around care delivery and technology, we must take difficult steps to reduce expenses ... We’re committed to supporting impacted colleagues, and they will receive severance pay and benefits, including access to outplacement services."

DeAngelis added that the company remains "focused on our mission – continuing to provide the exceptional care and support our customers, patients and communities deserve and depend on."

According to a recent news release from the company, CVS Health employs over 300,000 people. The Rhode Island-based company operates more than 9,000 retail locations and 1,100 walk-in clinics in the United States.

CVS Health completed two acquisitions this spring—Signify Health in March and Oak Street Health in May—as part of its mission to advance its "value-based care strategy," according to the company. CVS Health acquired Aetna in 2018.

This article contains reporting from Patch's Cailin Loesch.