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Take Care Health Clinics Open at Atlanta Walgreens

Posted on: Thursday, 8 November 2007, 12:00 CST

Take Care Health Systems, one of the largest managers of convenient care clinics and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG), has opened 11 Take Care Health Clinics at Walgreens drugstores in the Atlanta area. The clinics, which are walk-in, professional health care centers open seven days a week with extended evening and weekend hours, transitioned from RediClinic to Take Care Health Systems management at the end of October. Five additional Take Care Health Clinics are expected to open over the next several months.

Take Care Health Clinics are staffed by nationally certified family nurse practitioners who treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus infections, pink eye and poison ivy, and are licensed to write prescriptions that can be filled at the patient's pharmacy of choice. Take Care Nurse Practitioners provide diagnostic screenings; school, sports and camp physicals; and offer vaccinations for flu, hepatitis B, meningitis and tetanus.

"Take Care Health Clinics bring tremendous value to the markets where we operate, and we're excited to open our clinics in Atlanta," said Peter Miller, Take Care Health Systems' President and CEO. "Our clinics are accessible, convenient, and most of all, provide high-quality care on the patient's terms. Take Care Health's goal is to redefine the patient's health care experience, and we deliver on that through innovative technology and a patient-first philosophy in all we do."

Clinics have two patient examination rooms, exam tables, sinks, cutting-edge patient registration systems and electronic personal health records for visit documentation. Clinics are open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. -- 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. -- 5:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m.; and are located at the following Walgreens drugstores in the Atlanta area:

Acworth - 1762 Mars Hill Road NW

Lawrenceville - 2990 Five Forks Trickum Road

Alpharetta - 3003 Old Alabama Road

Marietta - 2988 Shallowford Road

Austell - 4120 Austell Road

Norcross - 5985 Peachtree Pkwy.

Douglasville - 9465 Hwy. 5

Powder Springs - 5230 Dallas Hwy.

Kennesaw - 2779 Cobb Pkwy. NW

Stockbridge - 1855 Hudson Bridge Road

Lawrenceville - 181 S. Clayton St.

Five additional clinics will open over the next several months in the following Walgreens drugstores:

Atlanta - 7530 Roswell Road

Smyrna - 2670 Cobb Pkwy. SE

Lithonia - 2945 Panola Road

Stone Mountain - 5320 Memorial Drive

Marietta - 2464 Roswell Road

Many insurance plans are accepted at the clinics, including Aetna, CIGNA, Humana and Medicare where patients pay their regular co-pay, and several other plans will be accepted soon. For the uninsured or cash payers, prices average $59-$74 and are clearly posted on takecarehealth.com and clinic signage.

"Many Atlanta residents enjoy the benefit of convenient care clinics, including increased access to high-quality health care, convenient hours and clear, affordable pricing," said Rochelle Latkanich, Take Care Health Systems' Regional Nurse Practitioner who oversees the Atlanta market. "Take Care Health Clinics will continue to offer great care from experienced professionals who know their local communities, and we are committed to constantly improving our offerings to further enhance the patient-centric experience at Take Care Health Clinics."

Take Care Nurse Practitioners call patients back the day after a clinic visit and ensure that if a referral were made, the appointment has been scheduled. Nurse practitioners encourage all patients to have a "health care home," a medical provider they see routinely for on-going medical needs and routine exams. If a patient's condition falls outside of the scope of practice at the clinic, the patient is referred back to his/her primary care provider for follow-on care. If a patient does not have a primary care physician, nurse practitioners will offer a list of physicians in the area accepting new patients. Take Care Nurse Practitioners collaborate with local physicians who are available for consultation at all times the practitioner is treating a patient.

Take Care Health Systems uses nationally recognized, evidence-based clinical guidelines for treatment and electronic medical record technology allowing patients to take visit records to their other providers, ensuring continuity of care. Take Care Nurse Practitioners follow quality and safety standards as outlined by the Convenient Care Association, the industry's trade association, and are aligned with guidelines for retail clinics set by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association.

Take Care Health Systems currently manages 85 Take Care Health Clinics in Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. Take Care Health Systems plans to have more than 100 clinics open at Walgreens drugstores by the end of 2007 and more than 400 clinics by the end of 2008.

About Take Care Health SystemsSM

Take Care Health SystemsSM (www.takecarehealth.com), one of the largest managers of convenient care clinics, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens. Take Care Health ClinicsSM managed by Take Care Health Systems combine best practices in medicine and the expertise and personal care of Take Care Health ProvidersSM in providing high-quality, accessible and affordable health care to all individuals. Take Care Health Systems maintains a detailed quality assurance program including collaborating physician review to ensure quality care, patient safety and state scope of practice compliance. Patient care is provided by Take Care Health ServicesSM, an independently owned state professional corporation established in each market.

About Walgreens

Walgreen Co. (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2007 sales of $53.8 billion. The company operates 6,059 stores in 49 states and Puerto Rico, including 77 Happy Harry's stores in Delaware and surrounding states. Walgreens is expanding its patient-first health care services beyond traditional pharmacy through Walgreens Health Services, its managed care division, and Take Care Health Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary that manages convenient care clinics at drugstores. Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc. and Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC.

Source: Business Wire

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