Walmart Health expands into new market

Walmart is expanding its freestanding health care concept.

The company will open five Walmart Health centers across North and Central Florida. The openings, which mark Walmart Health’s expansion into Florida, include a location in Jacksonville, which opened on April 5. At least four additional locations in Florida will open in the Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa areas. (Locations and opening dates at end of article.).

The first Walmart Health center opened in Dallas, Ga., in 2019. To date, the company has opened 20 centers across Arkansas, Georgia and Illinois.

Located adjacent to Walmart Supercenters, the Walmart Health centers provide a range of services, including primary care, labs, X-ray and EKG, behavioral health and counseling, dental, optical, hearing and more. The centers are operated by qualified medical professionals, including physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, behavioral health providers and optometrists.

The new Walmart Health locations in Florida will be the first centers to use Epic health technology, which is the most widely-used and comprehensive health records system in the U.S. It is used by more than 2,000 hospitals and 45,000 clinics.

“Two years after the launch of Walmart Health, we continue evolving and growing to make health care even more accessible to the communities we serve,” said Dr. David Carmouche, senior VP of omnichannel care offerings at Walmart. “With only one primary care doctor per 1,380 Florida residents, these Walmart Health centers will help address the demand for care in three major cities in the Sunshine State, delivering quality health care at the right time in the right setting, right next to where many Floridians get their groceries. We are part of these communities, and we are excited to bring more options for in-person and telehealth care services to our neighbors.”

Walmart operates more than 380 stores in Florida. From 2010 to 2019, Florida’s population grew 13%, more than double the total U.S. population growth, the retailer noted.

Walmart Health’s expansion comes as Walgreens and Village MD continue to roll out co-located Village Medical locations at Walgreen sites. In October, Walgreens announced it was investing $5.2 billion in VillageMD, increasing its ownership stake in the company from 30% to 63%. The investment will accelerate the opening of more than 600 Village Medical at Walgreens primary care and pharmacy practices in more than 30 U.S. markets by 2025.

The locations and opening dates for Walmart Health in Florida are scheduled for:

• April 5, 2022: 7075 Collins Road (Jacksonville)
• April 7, 2022: 1586 Branan Field Road (Middleburg)
• April 12, 2022: 904 B Cypress Parkway (Poinciana/Kissimmee)
• April 14, 2022: 3647 South Orlando Drive (Sanford)
• June 7, 2022: 28516 State Road 54 (Wesley Chapel)