Walmart Health medical services opens 5 locations in Florida

Need an X-ray, eye exam, EKG or counseling next time you head over to Walmart for groceries, clothes or toys?

This week the Arkansas-based retail giant opened two of the first five Walmart Health Centers in Florida — in and near Jacksonville.

Three more health centers are to come by June 7, with at least another four more locations in Florida in the Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa areas on the way in 2022.

Dr. David Carmouche, senior vice president of Omnichannel Care Offerings at Walmart, would not say whether the company plans to open locations in the South Florida market. But chances for a Walmart Health in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach would seem likely at some point.

“We’re planning to open more Walmart Health centers in cities across Florida as we look to meet the growing needs of the community and ensuring we’re continuing our commitment to making quality healthcare more accessible, convenient, and affordable for customers in the communities we serve,” Carmouche told the Miami Herald in an email.

Where are the new Walmart Health centers?

These are the new Walmart Health locations and when you can expect them to open.

▪ Jacksonville at 7075 Collins Rd. opened on Monday, April 5.

▪ Middleburg in Clay County, 26 miles southwest of downtown Jacksonville, at 1586 Branan Field Rd. opened on Thursday.

▪ Poinciana in Osceola County southwest of Kissimmee at 904 Cypress Pkwy and scheduled to open April 12.

▪ Sanford in Seminole County at 3647 South Orlando Dr. and scheduled to open April 14.

▪ Wesley Chapel in the Tampa Bay area in Pasco County at 28516 State Road 54 and scheduled to open June 7.

What Walmart Health provides

The new centers will provide healthcare such as primary and urgent care, pediatric, lab work, X-ray services, dental and eye care, and behavioral health and counseling services, according to Walmart. Doctors and nurse practitioners and other support staff will work the locations.

Since the first Walmart Health opened as a 10,000-square-foot facility in Dallas, Georgia, in 2019, Walmart Health has expanded to 20 locations in Arkansas, Georgia and Illinois and now Florida.

Why open a health center in Florida?

In a statement, Dr. David Carmouche, senior vice president of Omnichannel Care Offerings at Walmart, said: “Two years after the launch of Walmart Health, we continue evolving and growing to make health care even more accessible to the communities we serve.”

The need is there, Carmouche believes.

Of Walmart’s 4,740 locations in the U.S. (not counting its 46 membership warehouse Sam’s Clubs), Florida has the second largest number of Walmart stores in the country — currently 387 retail stores, compared to Texas, which is No. 1 at 602 stores, according to 24/7 Wall St.

The chain employs 120,954 people, according to its most recent fact sheet.

Florida’s population estimate according to U.S. Census figures in July 2021 was at 21.8 million. Miami-Dade accounted for about 2.7 million and Broward was at 1.9 million.

“Florida’s population is rapidly growing, and so are the needs of its residents,” Carmouche said. “With only one primary care doctor per 1,380 Florida residents, these Walmart Health centers will help address the demand for care in the Sunshine State, delivering quality health care at the right time in the right setting, right next to where many Floridians get their groceries.”

He said that Walmart Health will offer “transparent prices” for its services, “with or without insurance … and we accept most major government and private health insurance providers.”

Walgreens, which partners with UHealth for several in-store clinics in the South Florida market, and CVS, which has more than 1,100 MinuteClinics across the U.S. staffed by nurse practitioners, are Walmart’s primary competition.

The Florida locations will be about 6,500 square feet, Forbes reported. Walmart adopted the Epic electronic health record system to give patients and healthcare providers a streamlined portal for communication.

This story was originally published April 7, 2022 5:59 PM.