Walk-in health clinics to open in five area Dillons
A Tennessee-based firm owned by Dillons parent Kroger Co. will open walk-in health clinics at five Wichita-area Dillons stores and one in Hutchinson.
“We are bringing in-store clinics to help better serve our customers,” Dillons spokeswoman Sheila Lowrie said Friday.
An official from the Little Clinic said Friday its first two locations will open June 24 in Dillons Marketplace stores in Andover and at 1624 N. Rock in Derby, followed on July 2 by stores at 10222 W. 21st in Wichita and 3200 Plaza East Dr. in Hutchinson.
“Looking into August, the plan is to open on East Central (and Rock) and (4747) South Broadway,” said Jennifer Martin, a Little Clinic spokeswoman. “Those are the only locations I’m aware of at this time.”
Most of the clinics will comprise a reception desk, a semi-private waiting area and one to three exam rooms. They will be staffed at minimum by a patient care technician and a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
The clinics, which accept health insurance or cash, provide treatment for illnesses such as bronchitis, sinus infections, seasonal allergies and the flu. The clinics can also provide other services such as sports physicals, health screenings and some vaccinations.
Martin said in the Wichita area and Hutchinson, the clinics will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Martin said she didn’t know what went into the decision-making process for opening clinics here, but said plans to expand the clinics to Wichita have been in place for two years.
The Little Clinic was started in Louisville, Ky., in 2003 and the company was bought by Kroger in 2010. The company operates 162 clinics in Kroger, Fry’s, JayC and King Soopers stores in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Virginia, Mississippi and Colorado.
The move by a retailer to open a walk-in health clinic is a fairly new phenomena, but not a foreign one in Wichita. Drugstore retailer Walgreens operates walk-in clinics at five of its 10 Wichita stores.
Reach Jerry Siebenmark at 316-268-6576 or jsiebenmark@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jsiebenmark.
This story was originally published June 18, 2015 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Walk-in health clinics to open in five area Dillons."