Mobile clinics launched by Dollar General in an attempt to target a larger audience

Dollar General is expanding into the healthcare industry by opening three mobile clinics in Tennessee. The stores are capable of providing lab testing along with basic and urgent care services.

To provide this new service Dollar General has joined hands with a transportation and mobile health service provider; DocGo. The service will be provided using large vans in parking lots of stores. The companies plan to assess the responses of the consumers and come about the feasibility of expansion to more stores. The clinics take walk-in customers as well as online appointments.

Dollar General’s CMO (Chief Medical Officer), Dr. Albert Wu stated, “We’re excited to pilot new mobile health clinics with services provided by DocGo On-Demand to provide services including annual physicals, acute illness, urgent care needs, vaccinations, and lab testing.

These mobile clinics demonstrate our ability and desire to work with our customers to bring affordable health and wellness closer to home while equally establishing Dollar General as a trusted partner where customers can access health services.”

Two years ago the company gave a signal that it was looking to expand to grow into a health destination. To do so, multiple product varieties were included in the Dollar General stores. These included feminine hygiene products, medical, cough and cold, nutritional, dental, and health aids.

The company also claimed that the mobile clinics added to its DG Wellbeing health initiative. As of 3 months ago, the initiative was offered at over 3,200 stores and there were plans to expand to 4,000 by the new year.

Six months ago the company announced that an advisory panel will be created which would include subject matter experts who would help the company evolve its strategy and also with investing resources in the cause of wellness.

Currently Dollar General has 18,818 stores present in 47 states while the competition like Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS is also evolving its strategies in the healthcare game.

32 health centers are worked by Walmart in Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Illinois, and Florida. Over 200 such health clinics are run by Kroger which offer ongoing health management, preventative care, and diagnostic treatment.

Even though Walgreens and CVS are both much more experienced in healthcare, Dollar General has positioned itself as the provider for underserved rural areas of the country. Over a third of the country’s population falls within roughly five miles of a Dollar General store location and the executives recognized this fact in 2021 when they said that these regions are underserved by the current ecosystem.

DocGo On-Demand works with some commercial insurance plans as well as Medicare, and TennCare/Medicaid. The companies said that the option of cash is also available.

Aaron Severs, DocGo’s chief product officer expressed thrill at partnering with Dollar General and expanding DocGo’s existence in Nashville as well as improving accessibility to patients. He mentioned that the company’s main aim is to provide care to patients wherever they need it and that this collaboration is the right move for it.

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