ST. LOUIS — Four InstaClinics located inside Schnuck Markets stores have closed. Both companies are based here.
The news was confirmed by a brief statement on InstaClinic's website: “Our clinics have temporarily been closed due to a restructuring of management. We look forward to serving you in the future.” The news had been reported in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
While Patricia Sohn, president of InstaClinic, was quoted as saying the convenient care clinics might return, Mike Juergensmeyer, Schnucks' group vice president of fuel and pharmacy, said the retailer is in discussions with other potential partners.
“The successful clinic model has to have some sort of health resource attached to it, like a hospital or a doctors' office — a way to drive some business into those clinics,” Juergensmeyer had told SN a month before the InstaClinics closed. “They also need the cash flow in order to make the clinics viable as they go through the ramp-up stage to become a mature operation.”
But in-store clinics are “here to stay,” he added. “I think they offer a great opportunity to give access to the patients, and grocery stores are a natural place for it with all the health and wellness initiatives that are going on right now.”