CVS temporarily shuts some MinuteClinics
4:21 PM Mon, Mar 09, 2009 | Permalink
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CVS Caremark Corp. has temporarily closed about 90 of its in-store health clinics, a company spokeswoman said today. "MinuteClinic began operating selected clinics in some of its markets across the country on a seasonal schedule," Carolyn Castel, the CVS spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail to The Journal. She gave no reason for the change. Drugstore chains like CVS and some retailers began opening health clinics several years ago as a way to draw in new customers and get existing customers to spend more money once inside the stores. The for-profit clinics typically are staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants trained to give customers quick and inexpensive care for common illnesses. CVS joined the crowd in 2006, when it bought MinuteClinic -- a chain of in-store clinics based in Minnesota. The company opened its 500th MinuteClinic a year ago and expected to open 200 to 300 new clinics by the end of 2008, according to CVS earnings reports. The company carved out space for the services inside some of its 6,800 drugstores across the country. There are 15 in Massachusetts and 11 in Connecticut. CVS has tried to open MinuteClinics at stores in Rhode Island, but has met resistance from the medical community.
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