Medication arriving late amidst mail delays in Spokane Valley
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Mail deliveries continue to be backlogged as we head deeper into the holiday season.
“We go five to six days without getting mail,” said Pam Marlow, a 31-year resident of Spokane Valley. “I’m on my sixth day right now of not getting mail.”
Bills, paychecks, and medication are arriving late to many residents in Spokane Valley.
“My mother, her medications have been arriving late too,” said Marlow, saying her mother’s medicine arrived a week late. “She’s 90, she definitely needs the medication.”
Barbara Howard, a resident since 1996, has experienced that issue first-hand. After surviving a heart attack, she receives medication to her mailbox every month. Over the summer, it arrived two weeks late. She says that’s when these problems first began.
“For the seniors, that’s not good. It could mean life and death,” said Howard.
Howard also relies on the postal system to pay her bills, no longer relying on the convenience of the internet.
“I’ve already been hacked,” Howard admitted. “So I don’t do anything like that online. So I have my paper bills.”
These delays stem from the postal carrier shortage transpiring across Spokane, and the country as a whole. Post offices are working to fill vacancies in the newsroom, but are struggling to retain new hires.
Mail carriers who have stuck around are working grueling hours to get mail and packages delivered mailboxes; distributing as much as they can during their 12-16 hour shifts.
4 News reached out to the Spokane Valley Post Office regarding medication arriving late, they did not immediately respond for comment.
READ: Long-time mail carrier addresses problems brewing across mailrooms
READ: For mail carriers, 12-14 hour shifts are common; days off are not
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