Walmart Outlines New Ways It Is Helping Customers Live Healthy Lives
October 06 2015 - 12:30PM
Business Wire
Retailer builds on long-standing commitment to
make health and wellness more affordable and accessible
Building on its commitment to making healthcare and healthier
food more affordable and accessible, Walmart today outlined
additional ways the company is helping its customers live healthier
lives. The retailer will focus on preventive care and supporting
overall well-being across its entire assortment – in stores and
online – through in-store events, online education and an expanded
assortment of products and services solutions.
Customers will see Walmart’s commitment come to life on
Saturday, Oct. 10, when the retailer holds “America’s Biggest
Health Fair.” The event will take place in more than 4,400 stores
across the U.S. from noon to 4 p.m. Free blood glucose, blood
pressure, vision screenings, product samples and health insurance
information will be available. In addition, more than 10,000 of
Walmart’s licensed pharmacists will offer immunizations in select
stores. Walmart expects to set record breaking numbers during the
single-day health fair with hundreds of thousands of screenings and
immunizations projected.
“There is one thing we can’t put a price on and that’s the
health of our customers. We realize we play an important role in
making healthcare available to millions and helping millions put
healthy meals on the table. This is a responsibility we take
seriously,” said Michelle Gloeckler, executive vice president of
Consumables and Health & Wellness at Walmart U.S. “From
managing diabetes to running your first 5K and simply putting a
healthy dinner on the table, we’re equipping our customers with
solutions for total health management which spans from nutrition,
fitness, preventative care and treatment.”
Walmart is the only retailer in the U.S. that operates its own
Pharmacies, Vision Centers and Care Clinics, and provides a
comprehensive assortment of preventative and wellness products in
the following categories: grocery, electronics, sporting goods,
home, apparel and consumables in stores and online. Over the past
year, Walmart has added thousands of wellness products, and plans
to expand in notable areas such as: durable medical equipment,
specialty prescriptions and active nutrition.
“We have a long history of making healthcare more affordable and
accessible for our customers,” Gloeckler added. “Our $4
prescription program changed the industry and drove down healthcare
costs. Our Care Clinics and Vision Centers are creating new price
positions for retail health services and giving communities
expanded access to services they need to live healthier lives.”
Healthcare Begins Here
For the second year, Walmart is working with DirectHealth.com to
help customers identify their health insurance needs, compare
coverage options and enroll in the plan that is right for them. The
customer open enrollment program, Healthcare Begins Here, will be
available Oct. 15, 2015 through Jan. 31, 2016 in more than 2,400
Walmart stores, online and via phone.
New this year, DirectHealth.com is working with Jackson Hewitt
to staff licensed insurance agents in approximately 250 stores.
These agents will help customers navigate the more than 70,000
Health Exchange plans available to them, as well as help customers
over the age of 65 enroll for Medicare.
Everything You Need to Live a Healthy Life – Under One
Roof
As the nation’s largest grocer, Walmart makes healthier food
accessible and affordable. Last year, customers saved more than
$1.09 billion on fresh fruits and vegetables and Walmart exceeded
its goal of opening 275 – 300 stores serving designated food desert
areas a full year ahead of schedule. Today, Walmart offers more
than 1,700 organic products, nearly 10 percent of which are organic
produce items, and brings customers new, healthier options by
working with national brands and innovating within its own private
label assortment.
In 2011, Walmart set out to reduce the sodium, added sugar
and industrially produced trans fats in its private brands,
including Great Value, as well as national brands. Through 2014,
the company has reduced added sodium in the foods sold in its
stores by 16 percent, reduced added sugars by more than 10 percent,
and now less than 6% of its products contain industrially produced
trans fats.
To help customers manage their health whenever and wherever they
are, Walmart has also revamped its Health & Wellness page on
Walmart.com to focus on solutions that highlight products across
multiple categories. Examples include:
- “Boost Your Immunity” – Products to
include: Oral Care, Probiotics, Vitamins, Antioxidant Foods
- “Live Well with Diabetes” – Products to
include: Skincare, Supplies, Low-Carb Active Nutrition
To learn more about Healthcare Begins Here and Walmart’s
assortment of affordable wellness solutions, please visit:
Walmart.com/healthcare.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world
save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail
stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, we
serve nearly 260 million customers who visit our 11,508 stores
under 65 banners in 28 countries and e-commerce websites in 11
countries. With fiscal year 2015 revenue of $486 billion, Walmart
employs more than 2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues
to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and
employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be
found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/walmart. Online merchandise sales are available
at http://www.walmart.com and http://www.samsclub.com.
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Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.Molly Blakeman,
800-331-0085news.walmart.com/reporter
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