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Rite Aid and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center Introduce In-Store Health Care Clinics to Idaho

Posted on: Wednesday, 18 July 2007, 12:15 CDT

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center announced today an agreement to open Saint Alphonsus Express Care medical clinics inside three Rite Aid stores in neighborhoods in the Boise, ID area this year. The Saint Alphonsus Express Care clinics will be the first retail-based health care clinics to open in Idaho. The clinics will be staffed by nurse practitioners who will provide medical services and quality care for common ailments like strep throat, earaches, and the flu.

Retail-based medical clinics like Saint Alphonsus Express Care inside a Rite Aid store are part of an emerging trend of new consumer-oriented healthcare services. Express Care clinics provide convenient, accessible and affordable quality health care services to patients. Patients will see a certified nurse practitioner trained to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive health care services and prescribe medications. Patients who need additional services can access, through referral, the expansive Saint Alphonsus network of physicians, hospitals and other health care service providers.

"This relationship with Saint Alphonsus allows us to offer convenient access to high-quality, affordable health care services with the medication counseling and care already provided by our pharmacists. We especially like that Saint Alphonsus has the same commitment that our pharmacists have -- to work collaboratively with physicians and in the best interest of the patients," said Mark de Bruin, Rite Aid executive vice president of pharmacy. "The Express Care clinics are linked directly to the well-established Saint Alphonsus health care system assuring that all patients will receive the care they need. It's a great combination and clearly supports Rite Aid's focus on health and wellness."

"Saint Alphonsus Express Care delivers a model of value that is important to so many of us and will revolutionize healthcare in this community," said Sandra Bruce, Saint Alphonsus CEO. "It supports the demand of consumers who want to be seen immediately and pay a fair price for basic health care."

Express Care clinics will be open seven days a week with no appointment necessary. The clinics will offer a variety of specific health care services that typically can be delivered in 15 minutes at an average cost of $45 per visit. These include diagnosis and treatment for many common illnesses such as bronchitis, sinus infections and allergies, as well as a number of health and wellness screenings and vaccines. Nurse practitioners will also write commonly-used prescriptions to treat illnesses.

Three Saint Alphonsus Express Care locations are expected to open this year in Rite Aid stores on East Boise Avenue and West State Street in Boise, and on East Cleveland Boulevard in Caldwell.

Rite Aid Corporation is one of the nation's leading drugstore chains with annual revenues of more than $27 billion and approximately 5,100 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company's website at http://www.riteaid.com.

Saint Alphonsus is a 365-licensed bed regional medical center serving people throughout the Idaho, eastern Oregon and northern Nevada. Saint Alphonsus emphasizes care that is patient-centered, innovative and community based. Saint Alphonsus focuses on providing services in a spiritual, healing environment, and is renowned for its state-of-the-art digital environment and pioneering technologies; award-winning clinical services; a nationally accredited Life Flight program and the region's Trauma Center. For information about Saint Alphonsus visit www.saintalphonsus.org.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include our high level of indebtedness, our ability to make interest and principal payments on our debt and satisfy the other covenants contained in our senior secured credit facility and other debt agreements, our ability to improve the operating performance of our existing stores in accordance with our long term strategy, our ability to hire and retain pharmacists and other store personnel, the efforts of private and public third-party payors to reduce prescription drug reimbursements and encourage mail order, competitive pricing pressures, continued consolidation of the drugstore industry, changes in state or federal legislation or regulations, the outcome of lawsuits and governmental investigations, general economic conditions and inflation, interest rate movements and access to capital. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these and other factors, risks and uncertainties. Readers are also directed to consider other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements can be identified through the use of words such as "may", "will", "intend", "plan", "project", "expect", "anticipate", "could", "should", "would", "believe", "estimate", "contemplate", and "possible".

Source: Business Wire

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