Walmart to open 4 health centers near Oklahoma City

Walmart Health plans to open four healthcare centers near Oklahoma City next year, the retailer announced Wednesday.

It’s part of a significant expansion slated for 2024 for Walmart’s healthcare arm, which also includes moves into Missouri and Arizona, along with further growth in Texas.

The retail giant plans to operate more than 75 Walmart Health centers by the end of next year, opening 28 new locations next year.

Walmart Health launched in 2019, with the goal of making healthcare more “convenient, accessible and affordable for the communities we serve,” Walmart said in a statement. Services include primary and urgent care, labs, X-ray, behavioral health, dental and hearing services.

The first of Walmart’s new health centers will open during the first quarter of 2024, the retailer said last month. In addition to the new Oklahoma City centers, new locations will include 10 in the Dallas metro area, eight in the Houston area, six in the Phoenix area and four near Kansas City, Missouri.

Walmart currently has more than 30 healthcare locations in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Texas, all located inside or next to the retailer’s Supercenters. Walmart’s first health center opened in Dallas, Georgia.

“Knowing that access to comprehensive primary care, dental care and behavioral health services is a challenge in many communities, it is our hope that this one-stop model will solve this challenge for our neighbors in Oklahoma City,” Dr. David Carmouche, SVP of Walmart’s Omnichannel Care Offerings, said in a statement. “Providing these services in a place where many already live and shop and co-locating them by pharmacy and vision services and next to healthy foods in the Walmart grocery section is intentional. We can coordinate unique and impactful healthcare experiences.”

The new Walmart Health locations will be about 5,750 square feet. Services will vary by location, Walmart said, but will include primary care, labs, X-ray, EKG, dental, hearing, community health and telehealth. The centers will use “best-in-class healthcare technology” that features modern equipment, Walmart said.

The centers are staffed with doctors, dentists, behavioral health specialists and others, and are open seven days a week.

In 2021, Walmart acquired telehealth provider MeMD, to expand access to virtual care.

Walmart also launched Walmart Rx for Less, which offers a selection of commonly prescribed medications at no costs for Walmart members, as well as savings of up to 85% on other prescription drugs.

In January, select Walmart Health centers in Florida and Georgia began offering care to some Medicare Advantage patients, part of a partnership between the retailer and UnitedHealth Group.

Last month, Walmart said its new health center locations would feature new layouts “so patients spend less time in the waiting room and more time with their doctor.” Walmart Health also added Epic’s electronic record system across all locations.

“With 90% of the U.S. population located within 10 miles of a Walmart, Walmart Health is in a unique position to provide quality, affordable health and wellness services where our neighbors already live and shop,” Walmart said in a statement in March.