Walgreens and Village MD opened the first Village Medical at Walgreens primary care practice in the Jacksonville area Feb. 15 at 105 Julington Plaza Drive in St. Johns County.
Metro Jacksonville joins Orlando and Tampa as the third Florida market to have a Village Medical at Walgreens.
There are 80 Village Medical at Walgreens in 12 markets including Arizona, Florida, Texas, Kentucky and Indiana.
Walgreens and VillageMD announced they would open five full-service, coordinated primary care practices in the Jacksonville area through this summer, but did not provide the locations other than the first.
Village Medical at Walgreens offers primary care along with pharmacy services.
The companies said the openings will create more than 295 full-time jobs, including 100 professionals, such as physicians, nurse practitioners and medical assistants.
In Duval County, there are eight planned Village Medical clinics at Walgreens pharmacy stores.
Two recently applied for permit applications.
One is a 3,196-square-foot Village Medical clinic within the Walgreens at 3505 University Blvd. W. in the Lakewood area at a cost of $625,000. Walgreens will continue to use the remaining 10,638 square feet of the store for its pharmacy and retail sales.
Another is a 3,211-square-foot clinic in the store at 8309 Southside Blvd. in South Jacksonville, also at a cost of $625,000. Walgreens will use the remaining 11,527 square feet.
Like the others, plans show eight exam rooms and a vestibule.
There now are eight clinics planned by the pharmacy chain in Duval County.
Four have been permitted since Oct. 26.
The planned and improved renovation costs so far top $5.1 million in Duval.
Walgreens said the clinics were ideal for patients with chronic conditions who need multiple daily prescriptions. It said the clinics accept a wide range of health insurance options and offer in-person and virtual appointments.
The Walgreens stores will be remodeled to accommodate a vestibule, patient waiting area, exam rooms and support space. Walgreens will continue using the remaining existing pharmacy and retail space.
The other six planned or permitted Village Medical primary care clinics in Jacksonville are in North Jacksonville at 866 Dunn Ave.; in Arlington at 7224 Merrill Road; in the San Pablo area at 14405 Beach Blvd.; in Northwest Jacksonville at 5340 Soutel Drive; and at two Westside stores at 7546 103rd St. and 654 Cassat Ave.
Company spokesperson Jessica Masuga said in June renovations of the Jacksonville stores will be completed in 2022.
The Jacksonville clinics are part of Walgreens’ effort to open 600 or more Village Medical centers by 2025 and 400 more by 2027.
“We have five scheduled to open by end of summer 2022 as noted, with plans to open additional locations, and we’ll share more about those as we get closer to the opening dates,” Walgreens said by email.
“At Village Medical at Walgreens, we are simplifying healthcare for our patients by combining the primary care and pharmacy experience,” said Lynn Cosentino, a Jacksonville-area Village Medical physician in a news release.
“Jacksonville residents, and particularly patients with chronic health conditions, will benefit from the collaboration between the primary care and pharmacy teams, which offers comprehensive care and ongoing support.”
The clinics offer traditional primary care physician services, including treatment of ear infections, asthma, digestive issues as well as sprains and minor injuries.
Some offices will provide blood, urinalysis and bone density tests.
The clinics are set up to treat those with chronic medical conditions. Studies have found that in Florida the number of people living with three or more chronic conditions has risen from 2.4 million people in 2015 to a projected 6.2 million by 2030.
The clinics serve as a primary care physician for many insurance plans. A patient’s records can be transferred from one Village Medical at Walgreens to another.