“The Clinic at Walmart” to open in Newburgh , Henderson & Owensboro

OMHS to open its first in-store clinic in the Newburgh Walmart Supercenter to bring affordable healthcare to thousands of Warrick County residents

OWENSBORO, KY – October 28, 2009 – Today Walmart and Owensboro Medical Health System (OMHS) announced Newburgh, Indiana ’s newest offering of healthcare services: “The Clinic at Walmart” operated by OMHS. The clinic will open November 16 in the Walmart at the new Highpointe Drive supercenter just off State Highway 66, providing affordable access to basic healthcare services such as check-ups, immunizations, screenings and minor injuries. The walk-in health clinic is the first one owned and operated by OMHS in an Indiana Walmart. It will offer services Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

For busy customers seeking affordable, accessible healthcare—especially during evening hours or on weekends—clinics play a key role in the healthcare system. They can help steer patients toward more appropriate care instead of relying on hospital emergency rooms. In a survey of clinic customers, 10 to 15 percent said they would have used an emergency room had the clinic in Walmart not been available. Another 5 to 10 percent reported they would have gone without treatment entirely, which could have led to serious healthcare complications.*

“Providing healthcare in the retail setting is another effort our hospital is making to alleviate the region’s shortage of primary care physicians,” said Cheryl Brown, director of clinic services for OMHS. “Many primary care practices in our region are at or nearing capacity. We are continuing to recruit more physicians, but partnering with Walmart is another way we can provide additional access to care.”

OMHS will also open the first Walmart clinics in Kentucky stores in Henderson and Owensboro ’s Hwy. 54 supercenter. The hospital expects to open those clinics in the next few months.

Scott E. Gaines, MD, an urgent care physician with experience in emergency medicine, will serve as medical director for the clinics. “Joining forces with Walmart will help ensure the health and wellness of the communities in our region,” says Gaines, who practices at MultiCare, Madisonville. “Our clinics will be staffed with licensed healthcare providers to offer quality care in a convenient setting.”

In addition to enhancing the ‘one-stop shopping’ experience for customers, The Clinic at Walmart offers prompt access to affordably priced acute and preventive care for common health ailments treatable without urgent or emergency care, including sore throats, sinus infections, upper respiratory infections, earaches, bladder infections, insect bites and stings, cholesterol screening, blood sugar testing, vaccinations, drug screening and routine physicals.

“We are constantly looking for ways to add value for our customers and with this clinic we hope to provide our affordable, accessible and convenient healthcare,” says Bruce Shepard, Walmart’s director of health business development. “And because OMHS is a well-known and respected healthcare provider, our customers will benefit from the convenience of prompt professional care from an organization that they know and trust.” 

With the opening of this Newburgh clinic, there will be 49 in-store clinics in Walmart stores across 14 states. For further information about “The Clinic at Walmart”, please visit www.walmart.com/clinics.

* Survey results based on an exit survey of 14,479 patients following visits to a clinic in Walmart between January 2006 and November 2006. Surveys were conducted by the clinic operators.

About OMHS

Owensboro Medical Health System serves an 11-county region in Western Kentucky and Southern Indiana. The hospital received the HealthGrades Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence Award in 2009, placing it among the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for quality. OMHS is a full-service hospital, employing a workforce of more than 3,100. In addition to hospital and rehabilitation services, OMHS includes the HealthPark – a medical-based fitness center – home health services, a wound healing center, three outpatient diagnostic centers, the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center and the McAuley Clinic, which provides healthcare for the uninsured. OMHS also operates Convenient Care, Pennyrile Pulmonary Critical Care and Western Kentucky Rheumatology Center, Owensboro; and MultiCare in Madisonville, Ohio County (downtown Beaver Dam) and Tell City (IN).

About Walmart

Every week, millions of customers visit Walmart stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Club locations across America or log on to its online store at www.walmart.com. The company and its Foundation are committed to a philosophy of giving back locally. Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is proud to support the causes that are important to customers and associates right in their own neighborhoods, and last year gave more than $378 million to local communities in the United States. More information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com.