Take Care Health Clinics Open at Two Walgreens in Peoria

Take Care Health Systems, one of the largest managers of convenient care clinics and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG), has opened two Take Care Health Clinics at Walgreens drugstores in Peoria. One more clinic is planned to open this summer. The clinics are walk-in, professional health care centers open seven days a week with extended evening and weekend hours. Take Care Health Systems now has 33 clinics in Illinois, including 28 in the Chicagoland area, one in Rockford, two in Peoria and two in the Metro East outside of St. Louis. "Take Care Health Clinics have brought tremendous value to our existing markets, and we look forward to offering a high-quality, affordable and convenient health care option to the Peoria community,” said Peter Miller, Take Care Health Systems’ President and CEO. "We have treated more than 500,000 patients nationwide since November 2005 and received exceedingly high patient satisfaction ratings. We are excited to bring our clinics to Peoria for the first time.” Take Care Health Clinics in the Peoria area are staffed by board-certified family nurse practitioners who treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses such as strep throat, ear and sinus infections, pink eye and poison ivy, and are licensed to write prescriptions that can be filled at the patient’s pharmacy of choice. Take Care Nurse Practitioners also provide school, sports and camp physicals and offer vaccinations for flu, hepatitis B, meningitis and tetanus. Clinics have two patient examination rooms, exam tables, sinks, innovative patient registration kiosks and electronic medical record technology for visit documentation. Clinics are open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., and are located at the following Walgreens drugstores in Peoria: Peoria: 4814 N. Sheridan Road   East Peoria: 300 N. Main St. One additional clinic will open this summer at the following Walgreens drugstore: Peoria: 1919 W. Pioneer Pkwy. Take Care Health Systems has partnered with national insurance plans including Aetna, ChoiceCare, CIGNA, Coventry, Great West Healthcare, Humana, Multiplan/PCHS, UnitedHealthcare and WellPoint to provide covered services to patients, in addition to accepting Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Medicare and Medicaid. If insured by one of these plans, patients pay their regular co-pay or coinsurance amount. For the uninsured or cash payers, prices average $59-$74 and are listed on clinic sign-in kiosks. "Take Care Health Clinics offer care from experienced nurse practitioners who understand their local communities,” said Jami Riggenbach-Hays, Lead Take Care Nurse Practitioner for Peoria. "We are committed to offering convenient access to high-quality health care and pleased to extend our patient-first model to another Illinois community.” Take Care Nurse Practitioners encourage all patients to have a health care home, a provider they see routinely for on-going medical needs and routine exams. If a patient’s condition falls outside of the scope of service at the clinic, the patient is referred back to his/her primary care provider for follow-on care. If a patient does not have a primary care provider, nurse practitioners will offer a list of providers in the area accepting new patients. Take Care Nurse Practitioners collaborate with local physicians who are available for consultation at all times the nurse practitioner is treating a patient. Collaborating physicians and other local providers work with Take Care Nurse Practitioners to accept patient referrals. Take Care Health Systems uses nationally recognized, evidence-based clinical guidelines for treatment and electronic medical record technology allowing patients to take visit records to other providers, promoting continuity of care. Take Care Nurse Practitioners follow quality and safety standards as outlined by the Convenient Care Association, the industry’s trade association. Take Care Health Systems is part of Walgreens new Health and Wellness division, alongside Walgreens newly acquired I-trax/CHD Meridian Healthcare and Whole Health Management, two leading providers of worksite health centers that operate under the name Take Care Employer Solutions. Including Take Care Health Clinics, Walgreens has nearly 600 worksite health and wellness centers and retail health clinics within the division. Take Care Health Systems currently manages 176 clinics in 19 markets throughout 14 states, including Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, Nashville, Tenn., Orlando, Fla., Peoria, Ill., Pittsburgh, Rockford, Ill., St. Louis, Tampa, Fla., Tucson, Ariz. and West Palm Beach, Fla. About Take Care Health SystemsSM Take Care Health Systems (www.takecarehealth.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens and part of the Health and Wellness division, includes Take Care Consumer Solutions, managers of convenient care clinics located at Walgreens drugstores nationwide, and Take Care Employer Solutions, managers of worksite-based health and wellness services. The company combines best practices in health care and the expertise and personal care of providers to deliver access to high-quality, affordable and convenient health care to all individuals. The Take Care Consumer Solutions group currently manages 176 Take Care Health Clinics in 19 markets throughout 14 states, with plans to have more than 400 clinics in operation by the end of 2008. Patient care at Take Care Health Clinics is provided by Take Care Health Services, a network of independently owned professional corporations. Take Care Employer Solutions manages primary care, health and wellness and occupational health centers at more than 370 employer campuses, with over 400 projected by the end of 2008. About Walgreens Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2007 sales of $53.8 billion. The company operates 6,252 drugstores in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most convenient access to consumer goods and cost-effective health care services in America through its retail drugstores, Walgreens Health Services division and Walgreens Health and Wellness division. Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc., Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC and SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care facilities). Walgreens Health and Wellness division includes Take Care Health Systems, which is comprised of: Take Care Consumer Solutions, managers of 176 convenient care clinics at Walgreens drugstores, and Take Care Employer Solutions, managers of worksite-based health and wellness services at more than 370 employer campuses.