Walmart Shutting Down All Health Clinics and Virtual Care Service
The Facts
Retail giant Walmart announced Tuesday it will be closing down its 51 healthcare clinics across the US, as well as its virtual care service. This comes a month after the company announced it would add 22 new locations this year and more next year.
The clinics, whose services include primary care, labs, X-rays, and dental, optical, and hearing services, were located in Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, and Texas, many of which were in small towns that lacked access to other quality care options.
The Spin
Narrative A
Walmart didn't want to close its health centers, but, unfortunately, any business model needs to have profitability to remain afloat. However, this doesn't mean Walmart will stop providing other valuable health services, including vaccinations, testing and treatment centers, medication therapy, and over 4K pharmacy locations.
Narrative B
It's not that Walmart couldn't profit from its health centers, it's that it couldn't profit as much as it wanted to. These health centers have been a lifeline for countless Americans, particularly in rural communities, and corporate greed has just ripped the rug right out from under those vulnerable populations.