The closure of all 51 Walmart Health centers in the US has left many customers feeling shocked and disappointed. These centers provided a range of services, including virtual health care, primary and urgent care, labs, X-rays, behavioral health, and dental work in some locations. For customers like Cecilia Lee, the closure will impact their ability to easily access healthcare, especially for seniors who appreciated the convenience of combining medical appointments with shopping and other errands at Walmart.
Walmart cited profitability as the reason for the difficult decision to close its health centers. Despite this closure affecting six Walmart Health Centers in the Jacksonville area, concerns have been raised about potential gaps in healthcare access in underserved areas with fewer primary care physicians. However, Walmart has committed to helping patients find providers within their insurance network to ensure continuity of care.
While the closures will not impact Walmart’s pharmacy and vision services, employees at the health centers will have the opportunity to transfer to other Walmart or Sam’s Club locations and receive severance benefits. There are no specific closure dates at this time, but details will be shared with customers and employees as decisions are made.
Despite these challenges, Walmart is working to provide essential healthcare services through its pharmacy and vision services. The company is also committed to ensuring that patients are able to continue receiving the care they need even after the closure of its health centers.