Walgreens, VillageMD expand clinics into Florida
Walgreens and VillageMD are bringing their primary care clinics to the Sunshine State. The companies have opened three Village Medical at Walgreens locations in the Orlando area, with plans to add seven more by the end of the year.
“Together, Walgreens and VillageMD are committed to expanding access to healthcare in America through coordinated primary care and pharmacy services in our stores and virtually,” said Jamie Vortherms, vice president of healthcare services, Walgreens. “These 10 new clinics in Orlando are the first of many we hope to bring to Florida to provide residents high-quality care in the communities where they live, shop and work.”
Walgreens and VillageMD said the coordinated services between the on-site physicians and pharmacists include care for such chronic conditions as diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure. The companies noted that Florida’s State Health Assessment for 2016-17 found more than 13 million Floridians living with at least one chronic condition.
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“We’re thrilled to launch Village Medical at Walgreens locations in Orlando and share Vil-lageMD’s high-tech, high-touch healthcare model, which fosters regular communication and strong relationships between our patients and providers,” said Dr. Brent Asplin, president of Village Medical. “By bringing this model to Walgreens locations in Orlando, we’re able to pro-vide unprecedented access to primary care services and deliver improved health outcomes.”
VillageMD said the locations are expected to create some 400 jobs within the Orlando area.
The addition of the co-located primary care clinics in Florida follows the recent expansion of the partnership into Indiana, where there will be four Village Medical at Walgreens Clinics, as part of Walgreens’ accelerated $1 billion investment in VillageMD that sought to bring 40 clinics to Texas, Florida and Arizona by the end of the summer. Even before expanding into Florida, the companies had exceeded the 40-clinic goal by early July.