A recent NBC News article discussed Dollar General’s recent entry into the healthcare business. Apparently the company, which boasts more than 16,000 stores in the continental United States, is looking to increase profitability by making their locations healthcare destinations. They’re doing so by offering telemedicine, prescription delivery and pick-up, and mail order prescriptions.
CEO Todd Vasos referenced grocery and food deserts, and said there’s an equal amount of healthcare deserts in the U.S., and Dollar General is already in those communities. In fact, roughly 75% of Americans live within five miles of a Dollar General store. To help with the new venture, the company has appointed its first chief medical officer in July to help improve healthcare accessibility in rural parts of the country. This is key for the 60 million Americans who live in rural areas, because pandemic-related financial pressures killed a record 20 rural hospitals last year.
