A little reading about what Walmart is doing -
Walmart Continues Its Rapid Expansion In Healthcare, Announcing 16 New Facilities
Sai Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D.Contributor
I write about clinical medicine, innovation in healthcare, and health policy.
Oct 27, 2022,10:13pm EDT
Retail giant and household staple Walmart has proven time and again to be a relentless source of value. Having become one of the most well-known national brands over the last few decades, it has stayed true to its mottos of keeping prices relatively controlled, of serving its local communities, and fostering cutting-edge technology by launching its own online e-commerce platform. Now, Walmart is making incredible strides in the world of healthcare.
Yesterday, Walmart Health took a bold step forward by announcing its plans to open 16 new health care centers in Florida by 2023. This is in addition to nearly 32 centers that already exist across Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, and Texas. Dr. David Carmouche, Senior Vice President of Omnichannel Care Offerings at the company, explained: “As the population in Florida continues to grow at more than double the rate of the rest of the United States, so does the need to increase access to quality health care […] With these 16 new Walmart Health centers across the state, even more Floridians will have easy access to a wide range of high-quality health services at convenient hours and easy to understand prices.”
And the value truly is immeasurable. Walmart Health has changed the game with regards to primary care access. The company has made it incredibly easy for patients to get a variety of healthcare services on demand, ranging from primary care services to behavioral health, dental health, and even imaging services. For many Americans around the country, this is an incredible boon. Amidst a growing physician shortage and the ever perpetual lack of access-to-care, this service provides yet another potential touchpoint for patients.
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COMMERCE, GA - MAY 01: A Walmart mobile wellness facility administer Covid-19 vaccines. (Photo by ... [+]ICON SPORTSWIRE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Furthermore, ease of access is not only about location, but also about convenience. For many people, taking the time out their day for a healthcare visit or t0 go see a physician is not particularly convenient, and often entails taking time away from work, missing school, etc. However, Walmart Health’s entire business model is customer centric, given that it has decades of customer oriented retail experience. Walmart has brought healthcare into its stores, where millions of people spends hours a week already, shopping for groceries, clothes, or household items. Now, the company has made healthcare as simple as stopping by for a check-up on your way to pick-up the week’s groceries.
I’ve written about the company previously, specifically discussing how Walmart is rapidly expanding its presence in healthcare, and how it may soon become the largest primary care provider in the country. Both of these concepts continue to hold true, and will become especially more so in the coming decade. In a heartfelt post on professional website LinkedIn, Walmart’s Executive Vice President of Health & Wellness, Dr. Cheryl Pegus, shared a message regarding this new announcement: “Our Walmart Health centers are changing lives and disrupting health care in a way that’s opening doors for so many people. That’s why we’re excited to announce we’re opening more of them. We’ve seen the response in Florida. We also see the need. Our commitment to the communities we serve there is expanding, and I look forward to what our teams will do.”
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Walmart and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Team Up with CareSource to Expand Community Resources for Black Mothers in Georgia
On Maternal Health Awareness Day, Walmart, J&J Consumer Health and CareSource announce an all-new program to support Black maternal health across Georgia
By Warren Moore, Vice President, Social Determinants of Health
Jan. 23, 2023 3 Min. Read Health & Wellness
As a father of four amazing daughters, my wife and I have had the opportunity to create some incredible memories over the years. From attending their dance and athletic competitions to playing video games and visiting national parks in our RV, I will forever cherish the time spent with my family and being blessed with the opportunity to help see my girls grow into smart, courageous young women. While these memories are fond, none compare to the love forever etched in my heart on the day they each were born. I can vividly recall my first time seeing them open their eyes, their tiny hands grasping my finger, their first feedings and the joy I felt seeing them crack their first smiles – what magical times!
For far too many people, their memories surrounding birth is very different. One that many of us could only imagine in our worst nightmares. The United States is the most dangerous place in the developed world to give birth1, particularly if you are a Black woman, according to the March of Dimes. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Black women are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related issues, and there are a multitude of factors, including lack of access to quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, institutional racism and implicit bias that led to these disparities. While this issue has plagued the entire country, the University of Georgia reports that Georgia — home to the third-largest Black population in the United States — is the state with the second highest maternal mortality rate.
Since 1994, more than 30 labor and delivery units have closed in Georgia, and more than half of the state’s counties have no OB-GYN care or services1. To address this issue in Georgia, we have teamed up with J&J Consumer Health, home to an iconic portfolio of consumer brands, and CareSource, a national nonprofit that offers health insurance and innovative programs to address health equity and care access, to expand on a joint commitment to improve maternal health. We are beginning with a multi-pronged pilot program in Georgia to address the communities with the greatest need.
Knowing that there are several factors that contribute to the Black maternal health crisis in Georgia, we connected with community members, hospitals and community-based organizations to understand the most pressing issues to address immediately. This pilot is comprised of four pillars:
Self-care support
We are working with J&J Consumer Health to support CareSource’s Mom and Baby Beginnings program, available to CareSource members only, which provides an innovative array of maternity bundles of products, education, and services tailored for Black women and all pregnant people.
High touch pregnancy care
An at-home pregnancy support online through georgiamamacare.com, where mothers can use the platform to get their questions answered through one-on-one telehealth visits with care professionals, specialized classes, and support groups.
Healthcare professional education
Providing healthcare professionals (HCPs) — including doctors, nurses, doulas, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians — with continuing medical education designed to not only strengthen their clinical skills, but also their patient communication, through CME Outfitters Maternal Health.
Health equity research
Our partners at J&J Consumer Health are supporting research led by Morehouse School of Medicine’s Center for Maternal Health Equity to uncover the causes of health inequities among pregnant Black women and how we can further progress community resources to help close the gap.
These resources are available now to expecting mothers and healthcare providers across Georgia. If you are an expectant mother in Georgia and are interested in the pilot program, please visit georgiamamacare.com.
We are committed to making a difference in the health and wellness of our communities, offering quality care to help our customers and patients live better and healthier, right in their communities. We look forward to taking the learnings from this pilot to potentially expand into more communities in the future.
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Walmart's Healthcare Research Institute Launches With Mission To Improve Care for Underserved Communities Through Research
WHRI offers inclusivity for patients in rural and underserved communities to participate in clinical research
Oct. 11, 2022 4 Min. Read Health & Wellness
BENTONVILLE, Ark., October 11 — Today, Walmart is announcing the launch of the Walmart Healthcare Research Institute SM (WHRI) to increase community access to healthcare research that may help lead to safer, higher quality and more equitable healthcare.
WHRI will be focused on innovative interventions and medications that can make a difference in underrepresented communities including older adults, rural residents, women and minority populations. WHRI initially is focused on inclusion in studies on treatments for chronic conditions and innovative treatments that should include members from these communities.
“At Walmart, we want to help ensure all our customers have access to high quality, affordable and convenient healthcare resources, including innovative research,” said Dr. John Wigneswaran, Walmart’s Chief Medical Officer. “We know our customers are interested in participating in healthcare research, but many have not had access until now. We are already making an impact for our customers and for medical research, by raising patient trust and engagement in their care.”
For decades, clinical trials have not been representative of the population at large and often recruit participants who live near research centers, have the time and have the financial ability to participate.1 According to Food and Drug Administration data, in 2020, 75% of trial participants were white, 11% were Hispanic, 8% were Black, and 6% were Asian.2 Walmart is focused on studies that can have a health equity impact in the communities it serves and represent all populations. With 90% of Americans living within 10 miles of a Walmart, the retailer can offer solutions to care by meeting customers and patients where they live and work.
Walmart is working with a wide range of study partners, including clinical research organizations, pharmaceutical companies and leading academic medical centers, including CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting Services and Laina Enterprises. WHRI is already demonstrating strong results, with a referral rate 3x the industry benchmark.
“The efforts by Walmart in research are innovative and impactful – it is clear that the intention behind their foray into this space is to genuinely make a difference for patients of all ages, race and gender in their ability to access research,” said Bill Hawkins, Chairman of the Board, Duke University Health. “This initiative will support individual patient health as well as the health of numerous communities home to Walmart stores.”
To help make it easier for research patients to simplify their care, Walmart launched MyHealthJourneySM, a digital tool that lets patients take control of their own data through easy access to their eligible medical records and insurance information online in one place. With MyHealthJourneySM, patients receive reminders for care services and research opportunities to help them keep their health on track.
“Walmart's research initiative aligns with North Carolina A&T's strategic plans to further expand its local, regional and national community engagement activities in order to reduce social, economic and health disparities within African American populations,” said Dr. Raymond Samuel, Professor, North Carolina A&T State University; Center of Outreach in Alzheimer’s Aging and Community Health; Past Project Director, Hampton University-based Minority Men’s Health Initiative (MMHI). “Walmart's interest in ensuring that DEIA is at the core of its effort to increase customer access to clinical trials is in synergy with the historical commitment of NC A&T to enhancing the well-being of its communities.”
Walmart’s Healthcare Research Institute is an extension of Walmart’s long-standing commitment to helping expand access to patients and underrepresented populations. The retailer has demonstrated this through low-cost medicines such as, $4 generic medication program and private label ReliOn® insulin, high-quality healthcare at Walmart Health Centers and Vision Centers, partnerships and programs to address Social Determinants of Health, and now the opportunity to enroll in healthcare research.
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