Walmart will open 28 new health centers next year
- Walmart is going deeper into health care.
- It’ll open 25 new Walmart Health centers in 2024, bringing the concept to more than 75 stores.
- Numerous retailers, from CVS to Amazon, are investing in the health care space.
Walmart plans to open more than two dozen Walmart Health centers in 2024, bringing the concept to more than 75 locations.
Walmart first launched the clinics in 2019. Walmart Health clinics are designed as a one-stop shop for medical needs and offers services like primary and urgent care, labs, x-ray and diagnostics, behavioral health and dental care. The clinics began offering telehealth services in 2021. In total, the retailer has opened more than two dozen Walmart Health locations so far and it plans to expand this year with 16 new locations in Florida alone.
Walmart in a March 2 release said it would open 28 Walmart Health locations next year, bringing the clinics to Missouri and Arizona for the first time and expanding its presence in Texas. The new clinics will be about 5,750 square feet and will be located inside existing Walmart supercenters, the release said.
“We know the cost and convenience of healthcare remains a barrier for many Americans, which is why we decided to bring our one-stop model of healthcare to these communities,” said Dr. David Carmouch, senior vice president of omnichannel care at Walmart, in the release. “With 90% of the U.S. population located within 10 miles of a Walmart, Walmart Health is in a unique position to provide quality, affordable health and wellness services where our neighbors already live and shop.”
Where the new Walmart Health centers will be located:
- Dallas metro area: 10 locations
- Houston metro area: 8 locations
- Phoenix metro area: 6 locations
- Kansas City, Missouri, metro area: 4 locations
Walmart in the release said it would incorporate patient feedback from its existing Walmart Health centers into the new locations. The physical footprint, for instance, will be redesigned from its existing clinics with the goal of having patients spend less time in the waiting room, the release said.
Walmart isn’t alone in getting into the health care business. Numerous retailers have increased their ambitions in the category. Dollar General recently started piloting mobile clinics at three of its stores in Tennessee, Retail Leader previously reported. Pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens have for years offered various types of in-store medical services, like vaccines. CVS in February bought the senior primary care provider Oak Street Health, which employs around 600 primary care providers at 169 medical centers in the U.S.
Amazon has also continued to invest in the sector. The e-commerce giant earlier this year began offering a $5 monthly prescription delivery service for generic medications to its Prime customers. It’s part of Amazon Pharmacy, which first launched in 2020. Amazon last year also purchased a chain of boutique health care clinics.