CINCINNATI, Aug. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kroger Health,
the healthcare division of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), today
announced the expansion of its COVID-19 testing offerings at more
than 220 clinic locations by appointment for both symptomatic and
asymptomatic patients. The expansion comes on the heels of the
launch of the company's employer-focused COVIDCare Plus testing
program, and just in time for the start of the upcoming flu season,
during which many health officials anticipate an increased need for
COVID-19 testing.
The clinic testing will mirror the self-administered collection
process currently utilized at Kroger Health's community testing
locations. The expansion will enable the company's
multidisciplinary team of licensed healthcare professionals to
increase access to testing and convenient care services. Kroger
Health's in-store clinics have the capability to test up to 5,000
patients per day.
"We are proud of our drive-thru testing program that provided a
quick, interim testing solution, and now we are focused on building
testing capability that serves more Americans on an ongoing basis.
These longer-term COVID-19 testing solutions include leveraging our
clinic locations and our FDA-authorized COVID-19 Test Home
Collection Kit so we can reach more people."
Patients can access Kroger Health's free screening tool to
determine if testing is appropriate for them and schedule an
appointment at krogerhealth.com/clinictesting. Once a patient
schedules an appointment, a licensed practitioner will contact them
via telehealth or by phone. Clinic locations will offer designated
parking for patients and most COVID-19 sample collections can be
self-administered under the observation of a Kroger Health
professional while patients remain in their vehicles. The company
has also instituted additional measures at Kroger Health clinics to
safeguard the health and wellbeing of associates, patients and
customers, including enhanced air filtration systems.
Since April, Kroger Health has facilitated more than 150,000
COVID-19 tests across 19 states at drive-thru and walk-up testing
locations. As the nation prepares to enter flu season, testing will
become even more critical to help diagnose COVID-19 amidst
potentially similar symptoms.
"COVID-19 and the flu share many of the same symptoms, which
could cause added confusion and concern for Americans of all ages,"
said Marc R. Watkins MD, Kroger
Health's chief medical officer. "Kroger Health is ramping up our
comprehensive testing efforts to provide our communities with the
resources they need stay healthy and flatten the curve."
Kroger Health clinics, currently called The Little Clinic, are
available in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.
About Kroger Health:
Kroger Health, the healthcare division of The Kroger Co., is one of
America's leading retail healthcare organizations, with over 2,200
pharmacies and 220 clinics in 35 states serving more than 14
million customers. Our team of 22,000 healthcare practitioners -
from pharmacists and nurse practitioners, to dietitians and
technicians – are committed to helping people live healthier lives.
We believe in practicing at the top of our licenses and enabling
"food as medicine" to help prevent or manage certain diseases. We
are dedicated to providing testing and wellness services to help
Americans combat the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more
at www.krogerhealth.com.
About The Kroger Co.:
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we
are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed
the Human Spirit®. We are, across our family of companies, nearly
half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily
through a seamless shopping experience under a variety
of banner names. We are committed to creating
#ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us,
visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.