Walgreens and Take Care Health Systems Applaud Health Care Professionals During National Nurse Practitioner Week

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Take Care Health Systems, the largest provider of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers in the country and part of Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (NASDAQ: WAG) health and wellness division, is celebrating national Nurse Practitioner Week by applauding the thousands of health care professionals who work at the more than 700 Take Care Clinics and employer health and wellness centers that the company operates throughout the United States. National Nurse Practitioner Week is from Nov. 8 – 14 and is sponsored by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

“Both the advanced clinical education and holistic patient-centric focus which are synonymous with the nurse practitioner profession have served as a catalyst for care delivery innovations that have become a key component of the solution to the nation’s health care crisis.”

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) play a vital role in the delivery of high-quality patient care in both Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens drugstores and in many worksite health and wellness centers located at employer campuses. Both of these settings have been shown to deliver exemplary health care experiences while also reducing costs for patients and employers. A 2009 RAND study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine notes that retail health facilities, such as Take Care Clinics, offer treatment of common ailments at a substantially lower cost than physician offices, urgent care centers and emergency rooms while providing equal or better levels of care quality. Employer-based health and wellness centers typically provide a two to four dollar return on investment for employers who utilize them while improving the health and well-being of employee populations, according to Take Care Health Systems data.

“Nurse practitioners – and other front-line health care providers - are a vital part of Walgreens vision to provide greater access to high-quality, affordable health care that is convenient to communities where people work and live,” said Hal F. Rosenbluth, Walgreens senior vice president and president of Walgreens Health and Wellness division. “Both the advanced clinical education and holistic patient-centric focus which are synonymous with the nurse practitioner profession have served as a catalyst for care delivery innovations that have become a key component of the solution to the nation’s health care crisis.”

A wide array of health care professionals including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians, nurses, medical assistants, pharmacists, physical therapists, fitness and health coaches, x-ray technicians and others practice at Take Care Health facilities. The company is dedicated to empowering all health care professionals in an effort to address national health care challenges while creating paramount patient experiences. Research by an independent firm previously found that 92 percent of NPs working at Take Care Clinics were extremely or very satisfied with their jobs and that more than 90 percent were likely to recommend Take Care Clinics as a destination to work. In addition, Take Care Health partners with Gallup to monitor patient engagement at Take Care Clinics, and scores rank in the top 10 percent of all organizations Gallup has measured since 2003.

“Unprecedented patient engagement scores and exceptional clinical outcomes at Take Care Clinics are a testament to the skill and ability of nurse practitioners to delight, treat and advocate for patients,” said Sandra F. Ryan, RN, MSN, CPNP, FAANP and Chief Nurse Practitioner Officer for Take Care Health Systems. “Health care professionals across the country are relishing the opportunity to be a part of health care delivery models that challenge the status quo while improving access for all.”

Take Care Clinics are walk-in, professional health care centers located at select Walgreens drugstores across the country. Board-certified family nurse practitioners and physician assistants treat patients 18 months and older for common illnesses and are licensed to write prescriptions when necessary that can be filled at the patient’s pharmacy of choice. Take Care Health’s employer-based health and wellness facilities provide customized health solutions for employers across the country.

About Take Care Health Systems

Take Care Health Systems (http://www.takecarehealthsystem.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE, NASDAQ: WAG) and part of Walgreens Health and Wellness division, is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and convenient care clinics in the country. TCHS is comprised of Take Care Consumer Solutions (www.takecarehealth.com) and Take Care Health Employer Solutions (www.takecareemployersolutions.com). Take Care Consumer Solutions manages Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens drugstores throughout the country. Patient care at each of the Take Care Clinics is provided by Take Care Health Services, an independently owned state professional corporation established in each market. Take Care Health Employer Solutions manages primary care, health and wellness, occupational health, pharmacy and fitness centers at large employer campuses. Combined, Take Care Health Systems manages more than 700 worksite and retail health care centers.

About Walgreens

Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation’s largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2009 sales of $63 billion. The company operates 7,105 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most convenient access to consumer goods and services and cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness 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.