An upcoming change in hours at the Walgreens in Silverdale will result in the loss of the only 24-hour pharmacy west of Puget Sound.

This is a concern for some urgent care and emergency departments, which often refer patients to the Silverdale Walgreens after hours.

Walgreens is making the change because of low demand for late-night pharmaceutical services. But though their numbers may be small, the customers who need those services tend to really need them.

Dr. Bill Morris at Harrison Medical Center offered this as a typical scenario:

Someone arrives at Harrison late in the evening after suffering a broken ankle in a fall. They’re treated and discharged at 10 p.m. with a prescription for pain killers.

Typically, the patient’s next stop would be the Silverdale Walgreens to get the meds they’d need to not suffer through the night. That option will be gone March 8.

The next closest 24-hour pharmacies, as best as I can tell, are in Lakewood and Ballard (see map) a long haul for someone in pain. Morris said gone are the days when a physician could send a patient home with an extra “pill in their pocket” to tide them over until morning.

Harrison is working on a way of providing prescriptions to their patients after hours. They’ll let us know when a plan is in place.