Walmart To Open Health Clinic In Georgia

With a deeper move into the market for primary and mental healthcare, Walmart is opening a Walmart Health clinic in Georgia. The retailer updated its website with a link to Walmart Health and went online with the Walmarthealth.com website, CNBC reported.

A company spokesperson said, according to the outlet, “Walmart is committed to making healthcare more affordable and accessible for customers in the communities we serve.” The representative continued, “The new Walmart Health center in our Dallas, Georgia store will provide low, transparent pricing for key health services for local customers. We look forward to sharing more details when the facility opens next month.”

The Dallas, Georgia location will reportedly provide patients with low-cost, comprehensive care, including services for mental health. The clinic is located in a building that is adjacent to a Walmart location to offer patients a sense of privacy. The company will reportedly provide primary care, counseling, dental, X-rays, audiology and labs, among other offerings. The first appointments are said to be available in mid-September.

Primary care is a newer market for Walmart, as it competes with companies ranging from emerging businesses such as Circle Medical to big health systems. According to CNBC, approximately 140 million people visit Walmart locations each week, and the company has about 1.5 million U.S. employees in cities of various sizes, including rural areas where healthcare services are scarce.

In separate news, Walmart managed to beat analysts’ predictions across the board when it reported its second-quarter earnings in mid-August, with slight beats in revenue, earnings and same-store sales. CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement shortly after the results went public, “Customers are responding to the improvements we’re making, the productivity loop is working and we’re gaining market share.”

Net income increased to $3.61 billion, or $1.26 per share, ahead of analysts’ forecasts of $1.22 and a marked improvement over the net loss of the 29 cents a share ($861 million) Walmart reported last year at this time.