A CVS pharmacist is out of a job after refusing to provide a transgender woman her hormone prescription, the company said Friday.
According to NBC news, Hilde Hall was excited to fill her first hormone therapy prescription after leaving her doctor’s office back in April because it would allow her to, as she stated, “start seeing my body reflect my gender identity and the woman I’ve always known myself to be.”
When Hilde visited her local CVS in Fountain Hills, Arizona she gave the pharmacist three prescriptions prescribed by her doctor. Hilde claims the male pharmacist refused to fill one of the prescriptions needed to affirm her identity and stated that the pharmacist, “kept asking, loudly and in front of other CVS staff and customers,” why she was given the prescriptions.
“Embarrassed and distressed, I nearly started crying in the middle of the store,” she said in a statement. “I didn’t want to answer why I had been prescribed this hormone therapy combination by my doctor. I felt like the pharmacist was trying to out me as transgender in front of strangers.” After leaving the store, Hilde immediately called the CVS customer service line twice, but got no luck. She ended up filing a complaint with the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy on Thursday, according to ACLU.
CVS announced on Friday that the pharmacist has been fired because he violated company policies. “His actions did not reflect the company’s values or commitment to inclusion, nondiscrimination and the delivery of outstanding patient care,” CVS said in its statement.
“We also apologize for not following up on Ms. Halls complaint to CVS, which is due to unintentional oversight,” the statement read. “We pride ourselves in addressing customer concerns in a timely manner and we are taking steps to prevent this isolated occurrence from happening again.”
