RETAIL CLINICS: SSM to take over 26 Walgreens clinics Thursday

SSM Health will officially assume operation Thursday of 26 retail health clinics in Walgreens stores across the region.

SSM and Walgreens announced in April that they had signed an agreement for the St. Louis-based health care system to operate the retail clinics. SSM will own and operate the clinical practice and management of the clinics, which are transitioning to the SSM Health Medical Group and are being renamed SSM Health Express Clinics at Walgreens.

A ribbon cutting will be held at the Maryland Heights Walgreens location at 12509 Dorsett Road to mark the occasion at 9:45 a.m. Thursday. Dr. James Bleicher, regional president of the SSM Health Medical Group in St. Louis; Scott Haynes, regional vice president for Walgreens; and Maryland Heights Mayor Mike Moeller will be in attendance.

SSM Health is the latest health care system teaming up with Walgreens to enter the retail clinic market. Walgreens has inked similar deals in Chicago, where it handed over operations of 56 in-store clinics to Advocate Health Care, and in the Northwest, where it partnered with Seattle-based Providence Health & Services to open up to 25 new clinics in Walgreens stores.