Walgreens and BMW Manufacturing Celebrate Grand Opening of Comprehensive Onsite Health Center

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) and BMW Manufacturing today celebrated the grand opening of one of the country’s most comprehensive worksite health centers on the BMW campus in Spartanburg, S.C. The 25,000-square foot facility, managed by Walgreens Employer Solutions Group, will provide BMW associates, dependents and eligible retirees a wide range of health services, including primary and occupational care.

“We want to provide individuals greater opportunity to reach and maintain optimal health through education, prevention, early detection and management of existing health conditions.”

Patients will have access to a broad scope of services, including physical exams, chronic disease management, dental, vision, physical therapy, high blood pressure management and personalized health coaching. The center will also utilize state-of-the-art medical technology to offer a laboratory for medical testing, digital x-rays, biometric screenings and mobile mammography scans. The expanded full-service pharmacy will include private consultation rooms, an extensive selection of over-the-counter medications and a drive-through window.

“Walgreens has increasingly shown how investing in worksite health programs can be instrumental in helping to reduce costs for employers, while improving the overall health and productivity of their workforce,” said Peter Hotz, Walgreens group vice president. “We’re proud to expand our relationship with BMW and look forward to helping its associates, their dependents and company retirees get, stay and live well through a broad scope of on-site health and wellness programs and services.”

The new health center, located on the campus of the company's 4 million square-foot manufacturing facility, is designed to support BMW's continued efforts to manage health care costs and improve the health and wellness of its workforce.

"We want to bring quality health care to associates and their families in a cost-effective and efficient manner," said Annmarie Higgins, vice president of human resources for BMW Manufacturing. "We want to provide individuals greater opportunity to reach and maintain optimal health through education, prevention, early detection and management of existing health conditions."

Walgreens has operated an on-site pharmacy on the BMW campus since 2005.

Recent studies have shown face-to-face patient counseling, and access to both on-site pharmacy and full-service health centers can drive a nearly 10 percent increase in medication adherence. Non-adherence to medication therapies is a significant barrier to treating illness, with up to 11 percent of hospital admissions attributable to patients not taking medications as prescribed. Non-adherence is also estimated to cost the U.S. health care system approximately $300 billion per year¹.

About Walgreens

As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2012 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to become America’s first choice for health and daily living. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,061 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

¹ National Association of Chain Drugstores