The news generated a stir. Few days ago Walmart announced that it would close the 51 health centers distributed throughout USA, causing a lot of uncertainty in the population of some specific sites. In that sense, other health care services of Florida They announce that they are prepared to open the range, be more comprehensive and cover the needs of all its inhabitants.
At the beginning of 2024, more precisely in the January epilogue, Walmart announced plans to open 150 stores over the next five years while completing a remodeling project in 47 states. However, less than half a year later he made the decision to make a turn and close the door to medicine.
The closures would affect centers located in five North American states (Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Texas), as well as the company’s virtual health services, although the statement did not indicate when the blinds will begin to be lowered.
In the midst of the unease and logical uncertainty of the residents in these geographical points, some very positive developments appeared. Florida is home to most of the health centers that will soon close: 23 of the 51 centers are expiring their operations in the Sunshine Statewhere they offer various services, including medical, dental, and behavioral health care.
However Benjamin Browningvice president and director of operations of the Florida Association of Community Health Centersassured that many tried to discover the complexities of providing health care services, which does not always work.
Additionally, he explained that the current concern is ensuring that displaced patients, often in underserved rural areas, can still access care. “Fortunately,” Browning said, “community health centers are located throughout the state to be able to receive those patients and encourage them to come visit us and receive their primary care services.”
In a statement, the company cited the challenging healthcare reimbursement landscape and rising operating costs as reasons for its decision to end healthcare businesses. Besides, Walgreens is closing 160 clinics VillageMD, amazon is eliminating jobs in One Medical and Amazon Pharmacyand CVS Health plans to close dozens of pharmacies in Target stores.
Browning said their model of providing care is built into their name: building community. The moment a patient enters her facility, they may also be connected to additional services. She said the model is financially challenging, but they were working hard to perfect it as soon as possible.
“There is a level of rationalization,” Browning said. And he immediately added: “There is a level of efficiency that is maximized to the extent possible within health centers to care for those patients who can or cannot pay the full bill.”
Walmart expects the closures to occur within three months and will now focus its healthcare business on its nearly 4,600 pharmacies and more than 3,000 vision centers across the United States. It is worth noting that Community Health Centers are located in the 67 counties of Florida and serve patients at more than 800 locations, including dozens of mobile units and school sites across the state.
