Walmart Health announces expansion with new clinics planned in Chicago, Georgia and Florida

Walmart Health expects to open two more of its in-store health care clinics in the Chicago area this fall and seven more locations in Georgia by the end of the fiscal year, the retail giant said in a blog posted to its website on Thursday.

In all, Walmart Health officials expect to have at least 22 clinics with locations in Georgia, Florida, Arkansas and Illinois by the end of 2021, wrote Lori Flees, SVP and COO, Walmart U.S. Health & Wellness.

In July, the company revealed it planned to exand into Florida, but did not offer specifics. Flees said Walmart is planning seven Walmart Health locations in the Jacksonville market in 2021, with at least one opening in early 2021. She also said the company is "beginning conversations" in the Orlando and Tampa markets.

"Our experience this year has made two things clear: Walmart Health is having a real impact on increasing access to care in our communities, and there are more neighbors who need our help," Flees wrote.

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The announcement comes a year after Walmart opened its first cinic in Dallas, Georgia. The clinics—which are attached to a retail store but offers their own entrances—provides patients with primary care, dental care, vision care and psychiatric counseling alongside health education and wellness programs. 

Services at the health clinic cost a flat fee, even for the uninsured: $40 for a primary care visit, $50 for an adult to get a dental checkup and cleaning, $45 for a visit for an eye appointment and $1 per minute to see the therapist. Laboratory services and imaging for both primary and dental care are available on-site.

Walmart also announced its partnership with BLOX, which makes medical modules, to standardize and scale its manufacturing process.

"Why is this important? It allows us to accomplish more with less: faster, more efficient construction requiring fewer resources, allowing us to serve more customers, quicker," Flees said. "This innovative collaboration allows us to tailor the Walmart Health design to meet the unique needs of the communities we serve, while also providing the necessary infrastructure to efficiently scale the model."

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A Walmart Health clinic, which opened in Newnan, Georgia in September, is the first location built with BLOX.

"Each new location will build on the successful prototype we launched last year, as we continue to learn and work to deliver the integrated quality care our customers want and deserve through Walmart Health," Flees wrote. " We’ve spent the past year refining our model and have learned a lot along the way."

The clinics are just one of Walmart's forays into the healthcare market that aim to significantly disrupt the industry. Last year, the retailer released a slew of benefit changes for its associates that aim to steer workers toward high-quality providers and lower costs. It also recently posted job listings for a new insurance agency it plans to launch this year, with a focus on Medicare. Walmart's Sam's Club subsidiary also teamed with Humana in 2019 to offer a program to members with high-deductible plans to ease their healthcare costs.