Walgreens offering free health services to some
Plenty of restrictions apply, but Walgreens says some people who are newly jobless and uninsured will be able to get certain free services for the rest of the year at its in-store health clinics.
Plenty of restrictions apply, but Walgreens says some people who are newly jobless and uninsured will be able to get certain free services for the rest of the year at its in-store health clinics.
Take Care Health Systems Inc., a division of Walgreen Co. that operates 342 Take Care clinics in the stores, is based in Conshohocken. Eleven clinics are in this region.
Lauren Nestler, a Take Care spokeswoman, said the company wanted to help customers during the recession. The program, she said, also will help raise awareness of the clinics, which are staffed by nurse practitioners. It is an example, she said, of doing "good while doing good business."
The offer is available only to people who were Take Care customers before becoming jobless and applies to those who lost their jobs on or after March 31 and are uninsured.
To qualify, customers must be able to prove they are receiving or will receive federal or state unemployment benefits. Free services are also available to spouses, children, and same-sex domestic partners who have been Take Care patients.
The free care will be offered during limited hours and is restricted to acute problems, such as treatment of the flu or a rash. Vaccinations and physicals are not included.
As part of the program, Quest Diagnostics Inc. has agreed to provide some free lab services for qualified Take Care customers, including cultures for strep throat and urine tests for bladder and urinary-tract infections.
