Walmart/Wesley Heath
Walmart, which last year said it would nearly double the size of its physician-staffed health clinics, will open its first Texas facility next month on its way to U.S. 70 by the end of the year.
Walmart, which has 48 Walmart Health centers in five states, said it will add 22 new locations in 2024, deepening its presence in Texas while opening new locations in Missouri. A sixth market, Arizona, will expand in 2025, where the company does not yet operate Walmart Health locations.
“Walmart Health remains focused on providing healthcare that is convenient, personalized for each patient, including multiple lines of service, all delivered by a community-focused team of certified providers,” said David Carmouche, MD, Walmart’s senior vice president of healthcare delivery.
Walmart’s commitment to expanding Walmart Health comes as Amazon grows its physician-staffed One Medical Clinics in new markets, and CVS Health, which spent $10 billion last year to add health centers on Oak Street for seniors covered by Medicare adds to its portfolio of medical service provider operations.
Meanwhile, Walgreens, which made a multibillion-dollar investment with VillageMD, has struggled somewhat as it has grown too quickly and can’t fill patients in certain markets it is now exiting. Walgreens Thursday reported a loss of nearly $6 billion in the second quarter, largely due to the loss of value of its VillageMD investment.
But Walmart said the expansion of its health clinic was more “measured.”
The new Walmart centers build on the first 10,000-square-foot facility that opened in 2019 in Dallas, Georgia, where Walmart shoppers and patients in the community embraced the concept.
“As we’ve done since the beginning, we’re taking a measured approach to growing our footprint while considering the unique needs of each community,” Carmouche said. “We are excited to expand our operations in Missouri and deepen our presence in Texas this year, increasing our footprint to 70 locations by the end of 2024.”
In the new Walmart Health expansion, the centers will each be about “5,400 square feet located in Walmart Supercenters and will include the Walmart Health suite of health services,” the company said. “The range of services includes primary care, dental care, behavioral health, labs and X-ray and Walmart Health Virtual Care telehealth services.”
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