Mercy to Open Three New Primary Care Facilities in Arkansas

Mercy facilities located in former Walmart Health spaces

FORT SMITH and ROGERS, Ark., July 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercy will continue expanding its Arkansas footprint to make care more convenient and reach additional consumers where they already are with three new Mercy Primary Care locations in former Walmart Health centers inside Walmart Supercenters.

Mercy anticipates opening the three Arkansas Mercy Primary Care locations by late summer. The locations include:

• 4780 Elm Springs Road, Springdale.
• 2110 W. Walnut, Suite 100, Rogers.
• 2100 N. 62^nd St., Suite A, Fort Smith.

The clinics will offer primary care – not urgent care – with appointments and walk-in availability during regular hours, which will be updated when the clinics open.

"Working with Walmart to lease these exceptionally well-located clinic spaces aligns with Mercy's consumer experience and growth strategy in Arkansas," said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Arkansas Communities. "Mercy is excited about the opportunity to expand our locations in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas, meeting the people of Arkansas where they are to provide exceptional care. These new Arkansas Mercy Primary Care locations will provide great benefits to our communities, most importantly for patients who shop and use Walmart stores."

The former Walmart Health centers in Arkansas closed operations on June 28. Mercy will offer employment opportunities to current associates and providers at these three locations. Mercy will lease former Walmart Health spaces in Arkansas and will solely run the clinics; Walmart will not be involved in the provision or oversight of care.

"Reaching patients where they are is a significant part of Mercy's history and our care model," said Dr. Lance Faddis, regional physician executive over primary care for Mercy Arkansas Communities. "It is our goal that patients continue to receive care that is convenient for them, and these new locations will certainly help Mercy do that. We look forward to this endeavor and to working together with Walmart on leasing this space."

"We are excited to welcome Mercy as a tenant to offer primary care to communities in Arkansas, as we focus on our core health & wellness business," said Brian Setzer, executive vice president, Walmart Health & Wellness. "By leasing these purpose-built spaces to Mercy, our Walmart customers will have convenient access to primary care services where they shop."

Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation's largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children's, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.

SOURCE Mercy