Retail giant Walmart has further expanded its efforts to offer local communities a range of basic healthcare services -- including imaging -- with the opening of a second health center attached to another of its Georgia superstores.
The Walmart Health Center in Calhoun, GA, opened on January 29. In addition to x-ray, electrocardiogram, and other diagnostic imaging exams, the center offers the surrounding community counseling and primary and urgent care, as well as laboratory, dental, optical, and hearing services at "transparent pricing regardless of a patient's insurance status," the company said.
This new center is Walmart's second: The first opened in September 2019 in Dallas, GA. The centers are staffed by physicians, nurse practitioners, dentists, behavioral health providers, and optometrists, as well as staff who help customers navigate their visits and understand what kind of resources are available, according to the firm. At the centers, children can get an annual checkup for $20, lab tests start at $10, and teeth cleaning for adults are $25, regardless of insurance status, the company said.
"We have been prioritizing how Walmart can be a leader in promoting better health outcomes for people in their communities, on their schedule and within their budgets," said Sean Slovenski, president of Walmart U.S. Health and Wellness, in a statement released in September.
The new clinic in Calhoun continues Walmart's efforts to provide its employees and its customers with quality imaging services. In May of last year, the company provided its 1.1 million U.S. employees and their dependents a list of 800 high-quality imaging centers that had been collected by Covera Health, a health analytics company based in New York City. The list is the company's attempt to help its employees sidestep unnecessary treatment based on inaccurate radiology diagnoses. Although workers aren't required to use the centers on the list, they do pay additional costs if they opt for an outside facility.
"We think we can make an impactful difference in affordability, convenience, and, most importantly, accessibility for the Calhoun community," Slovenski said, in a statement released by the company regarding the newest center. "We have a history of launching innovative products and programs that have transformed the industry and created significant healthcare savings for customers."
