CoxHealth’s first in-store clinic in a Springfield Walmart Supercenter to bring convenient health care to thousands of Springfield-area residents
Springfield, Mo. – Feb. 16, 2008 – Today, Walmart and CoxHealth announced Springfield’s newest offering of health care services – “The Clinic at Walmart” operated by CoxHealth. This convenient care clinic will open Monday, March 2, in the Walmart supercenter located at 3315 S. Campbell. The clinic will provide fast, affordable access to basic health care services such as check-ups, immunizations, screenings and treatment of minor injuries. “The Clinic at Walmart” operated by CoxHealth is Walmart’s first in-store clinic in Missouri.
For busy customers who are seeking affordable, accessible health care, especially during evening hours or on weekends, clinics play a key role in the health care system. These clinics can help keep people out of overcrowded emergency rooms – 10 to 15 percent of clinic customers surveyed said they would have used an emergency room had the clinic in Walmart not been available, while another 5 to 10 percent would have gone without treatment entirely, potentially leading to more serious complications down the road.*
“By joining with Walmart to operate “The Clinic at Walmart,” CoxHealth is one step closer to ensuring the health and wellness of our community,” said 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.”
“We are constantly looking for ways to add value for our customers and, with this clinic, we hope to provide area customers with affordable, accessible and convenient health care,” said Alicia Ledlie, Walmart’s senior director of health business development. “And 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.”
In addition to enhancing the ‘one-stop shopping’ experience for customers, Walmart’s in-store clinics offer prompt access to affordably priced acute and preventive care for common health ailments treatable without urgent or emergency care, including sore throats, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, earaches, bladder infections, insect bites and stings, cholesterol screening, blood sugar testing, vaccinations, drug screening and routine physicals. They are open for walk-in service seven days a week, including nights and weekends. The company has 28 in-store clinics in seven states.
For further information about “The Clinic at Walmart”, please visit www.walmart.com/clinics. For more information about CoxHealth, please visit www.coxhealth.com.
* Survey results based on an exit survey of 14,479 patients following visits to a clinic in Walmart between January 2006 and November 2006. Surveys were conducted by the clinic operators.
About CoxHealth
CoxHealth is accredited by The Joint Commission and distinguished as one of the nation’s Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Systems (2006-2008). Established in 1906 and based in Springfield, Mo., CoxHealth serves more than 900,000 people in a 25-county service area in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas. Our comprehensive array of primary and specialty care includes three hospitals and more than 50 physician clinics in 20 communities. Our health system includes Oxford HealthCare (a home health agency), Home Parenteral Services (home infusion therapy), Primrose Place (a long-term care facility), CoxHealth Foundation, Cox College, Cox Family Medicine Residency Program and much more.
About Walmart
Walmart operates Walmart discount stores, supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sam’s Club locations in the United States. The Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom and, through a joint venture, in India. The Company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.
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Editor’s Note: The terms “Walmart” and “Walmart Stores” refer to the corporate entity. “Walmart,” expressed as one word and without hyphenation, refers to the brand name of the Company’s U.S. operations. This distinction came after the Company announced the introduction of a new logo for its U.S. store operations in June.