Discount Drug Mart to add clinics to more stores

Discount Drug Mart is expanding its clinic program across Ohio in its partnership with the MetroHealth System. The company announced Monday that it would add more clinics to its stores across the state. Currently, four Discount Drug Marts have clinics in them. Buddy Graf, vice president of business development for Discount Drug Mart, said the company wants to make health care available to more people and saw an opportunity to grow the clinics with MetroHealth. "The most important thing is we really want to save people time and energy and give people access to what they need," Graf said. "People can have access to care and get a prescription and get pointed toward getting better quickly." Where the clinics will be has not yet been announced, although Graf said the locations will be released in 2020. Graf said the numbers of the clinics are still evolving, but that it will be "substantially more than four." There are currently 76 stores in 20 Ohio counties. Eventually, the clinics will also have telemedicine services available at select locations, which uses telecommunications to evaluate and diagnose patients. With the added clinics, people can go to their appointment and, if necessary, get their prescription in the same place. Graf said the clinics also provide better access to people who may not otherwise be able to easily get health care, whether it's transportation, people who don't understand the system or who don't know how to plug into the health care system. The clinics will staff advanced practice providers, like nurse practitioners and physician's assistants, and work in collaboration with primary care physicians. There will be immediate services such as sports physicals, cold and flu symptoms, strep throat testing and treatment, pink eye, poison ivy, allergies, cold sores, cough and sore throat. Similar clinics had been offered by Walgreens, but the company closed about 160 clinics at the end of year at its locations, including the one in Elyria. Graf said Discount Drug Mart's partnership and expansion has been in the works for awhile. He said both the company and MetroHealth had the opportunity and desire to make the clinics happen. In a press release, MetroHealth President Akram Boutros said the healthcare will allow them to serve more people and at a lower cost. "We are delighted to expand our partnership with Discount Drug Mart," Boutros said. "Our organizations are both committed to transforming and improving the value of medical care by expanding access to more convenient less expensive care. When quality, cost, and convenience are no longer a barrier, we will help our communities become healthier." The four current locations for the MetroHealth clinics inside Discount Drug Mart are Parma Heights, North Royalton, Independence and Olmsted Falls.