Walmart Health is expanding within Texas next week, though headwinds have forced the company to push back the opening of clinics in certain regions until early 2025.
The retail giant said a year ago that it intended to nearly double its footprint by the end of 2024, opening 75 locations by the end of the year. However, pressures related to construction resources have led it to pump the brakes on six health centers planned for the Phoenix region and four in Oklahoma City, delaying them to the beginning of next year, a spokesperson told Fierce Healthcare.
That said, Walmart is still on track to open the planned 75 locations by early 2025, the spokesperson said.
The company will open its first clinic in Houston next week, with seven additional clinics set to open in the metro area by the end of this year. Walmart also plans to open 10 clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth region as well as four in the Kansas City market.
“Walmart Health continues to deliver healthcare that is convenient and personalized to each patient,” said David Carmouche, M.D., Walmart’s senior vice president of healthcare delivery, in a statement. "We’re thrilled to be expanding into Missouri and deepening our presence in Texas this year as we remain committed to growing our footprint to over 75 locations by early 2025."
The retailer opened its first health clinic in 2019, and it now operates 48 locations across Arkanasa, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Texas.
Each location is staffed by physicians, dentists, behavioral health clinicians and social workers, and they provide a wide array of services including primary care, dental care, mental health, X-rays and other lab tests. The clinics are also connected to Walmart stores, allowing for access to nutrition classes and similar resources.
The retail industry's push into primary care is nothing new. CVS Health operates MinuteClinics in many of its pharmacy locations and acquired Oak Street Health in early 2023 to bring its centers into the fold. Rival Walgreens owns VillageMD and operates its primary care clinics.
Online retailer Amazon also acquired One Medical in early 2023, building out its reach into medical care as well.