Jonesboro-based Access Medical Care opens first Walmart clinic

Access Medical Clinic, a primary and urgent care provider based in Jonesboro with more than 60 locations in eight states, announced Monday that it will open its first clinic in a Walmart Supercenter.

The primary care clinic is scheduled to open later this year at the Walmart Supercenter in Palestine, Texas. In a press release, Access officials said the company plans to open additional clinics at other Walmart stores to reach rural, underserved communities.

“We are excited to partner with Walmart to offer our services to the Palestine community,” said AMC CEO Dr. Brad Bibb, a Jonesboro native and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences graduate. “Our goal is to provide accessible and affordable health care to those who need it most, and this new clinic is an important step toward achieving that mission.”

Walmart clinics accept walk-in visits and online appointments and offer a range of services, including primary care, urgent care and pediatric care.

“We are pleased to lease space to Access Medical Clinic at our Palestine location,” said Brian Setzer, executive vice president of Walmart Health & Wellness. “This will provide our customers in Palestine with convenient access to healthcare services where they already shop for their everyday needs.”

AMC currently operates 61 locations in eight states, including more than 40 in Arkansas. The company employs more than 500 people and its services reach more than 500,000 patients annually, the press release said.

AMC operates its clinics under the 1977 federal Rural Health Clinics program, which was created to meet healthcare needs in rural America. Under the program, rural health clinics receive enhanced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements that allow providers to live and practice in rural, underserved areas of the country. All participating clinics must utilize the skills of a physician assistant or nurse practitioner with a primary care focus. Today, rural health clinics are an integral part of the nation’s health care delivery system.

The program includes more than 5,300 federally certified clinics that provide primary health care to more than 37.7 million people in 45 states, the press release said.

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