Walgreens said it will allocate $100 million over the next four years to providing medical tests and preventive medical services as the Deerfield-based pharmacy giant continues to establish itself as a national provider of health care.
The company would not say how much of the money was new spending or whether it was shifting money from other operations to preventive health services and tests. Increasingly, however, Walgreens has taken steps to add more outpatient medical care services to its 7,600 pharmacies and Take Care brand clinics.
Over time, the company wants these services to be offered under the same umbrella as part of a campaign it is calling the “Way to Well Commitment.” The company is working with major medical associations and trade groups to help patients better manage their chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.
“These are the types of valuable health care services we’ll look to expand into other critical areas with the help of our Way to Well Commitment partners,” Walgreen’s chief executive officer Greg Wasson said in a statement issued this morning by the company.
New services will be announced in the coming months and typically tied to disease-specific promotions that occur every year. As one example, Walgreens in February will offer free blood pressure testing as part of “heart health month.”
bjapsen@tribune.com
Expanding its medical services and rolling out its own private-label beer. The two are incongruous.