‘A Difficult Decision’: Walmart Closing All Health Centers, Citing ‘Lack of Profitability’

Retail giant Walmart announced Tuesday it is shutting down all of its health centers, but did not give a date for the closures.

In a press release, the company said the decision to close Walmart Health and Walmart Health Virtual Care was difficult.

“Through our experience managing Walmart Health centers and Walmart Health Virtual Care, we determined there is not a sustainable business model for us to continue,” the retailer stated:

The decision to close all 51 health centers across five states and shut down the virtual care offering was not easy. We understand this change affects lives – the patients who receive care, the associates and providers who deliver care and the communities who supported us along the way. This is a difficult decision, and like others, the challenging reimbursement environment and escalating operating costs create a lack of profitability that make the care business unsustainable for us at this time.

In March Walmart said it was hoping to open 70 additional health clinics by the end of the year, according to NBC News. “But amid rising costs and competition, the company determined it could not financially justify the effort,” the outlet said.

Walmart also said it will treat the communities affected by the decision with the “utmost respect, compassion and support throughout the transition,” adding that its pharmacies and vision centers will continue operations.

The retailer had focused on locations in “underserved communities,” Ateev Mehrotra, who is a professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, told One America News. “It’s disappointing that Walmart wasn’t able to make it work because these patients need care and don’t have as many options,” she continued.

The decision comes as Walmart and other major retailers have been facing problems such as shoplifting and other issues, according to Breitbart News.

With regard to economic issues in President Joe Biden’s (D) America, the rate of inflation American households expected jumped in April, according to Breitbart News.

It is “the latest signal that the Fed’s progress in bringing down inflation has stalled,” Breitbart News’s John Carney wrote.