This month, CoxHealth is partnering with the nation’s largest retailer to offer a new level of accessibility and convenience with the opening of The Clinic at Walmart.
The retail clinic opened March 2 in the Walmart Supercenter located at 3315 S. Campbell in Springfield. The clinic, which is Walmart’s first in-store clinic in Missouri, is staffed by a nurse practitioner and specializes in fast, affordable access to basic health care for immediate, mild conditions, including sore throats, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, earaches and bladder infections. No appointments are necessary and evening and weekend hours will allow added flexibility and access to care.
“By joining with Wal-Mart to operate The Clinic at Walmart, CoxHealth is one step closer to ensuring the health and wellness of our community,” says CoxHealth CEO Robert Bezanson. “Our Joint Commission accreditation demonstrates our commitment to providing the highest-quality care. Our clinic is staffed with licensed health care providers for extended hours – including weekends – so families can receive care without a long wait. We hope the clinic will also help ease the burden on our emergency rooms, by providing people with minor illnesses and ailments with another convenient, reliable treatment option.”
Cox officials say the clinic is key to expanding health care access in the Springfield area and changing the way care is delivered. The location inside Walmart will allow busy families to make a quick stop with no appointment and receive care without scheduling a doctor’s appointment or taking time off from work.
“It’s a very progressive idea and the clinic will be a point of access for our system that will offer convenience and affordability,” says Dr. Kerry Randolph, medical director of Regional Services. “The delivery of health care is in transition and we have to look at novel ways to get care to the public.”
Leaders at Cox also say the time is right for a retail clinic, especially given the economic environment. By providing a way to access treatment inside a popular retailer like Walmart, the clinic brings affordable care directly to those who need it.
“In times like this when the economy is struggling, people are having a harder time accessing care,” says Steve Edwards, CoxHealth’s senior vice president. “The new clinic is very affordable and most importantly it’s going to help us further our mission at a time when we’re worried about people accessing care. I’m excited about it – I was excited about it years ago when we started planning, but now there’s a profound calling to do this.”
The addition of the clinic also presents a new way for CoxHealth to reach new patients and be positioned for future growth.
“While it’s important to watch our spending, it’s still key to grow new business and be poised to increase market share when the economy rebounds,” Edwards says. “We’re holding off on some important positions elsewhere in the system and people may wonder why we’re going ahead with projects like the clinic. The answer is: because of growth. And this is growth that’s consistent with our mission.”
Plans for the clinic have been under way for the last few years, since Cox submitted its first proposal in December 2006.
“This has been three years in the making,” says David Taylor, vice president of Regional Services. “We’re excited it’s here and ideally we could see growing this throughout the region.”
Wal-Mart has 28 in-store clinics in seven states and officials say partnering with an organization like Cox has substantial benefits for everyone involved.
“Because CoxHealth is a well known and respected health care provider in the community, our customers will benefit from the convenience of prompt, professional care from an organization that they know and trust,” says Alicia Ledlie, Wal-Mart’s senior director of health business development.
“What a time to be a partner with Wal-Mart,” Edwards says. “When retailers across the country are seeing drops in business, Wal-Mart’s customers are turning to them now more than ever because Walmart has a very good value proposition. They offer high quality products at an affordable price and it’s a great partnership for us.”
Note: The term “Wal-Mart” refers to the corporate entity. “Walmart” refers to the brand name of the company’s U.S. operations. - ed.
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