Rite Aid’s RediClinic and Hackensack Meridian Health Form Joint Venture To Open Retail-Based, Convenient Care Clinics

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Pharma Business Week -- RediClinic, a leading operator of retail clinics, and Hackensack Meridian Health, the most comprehensive and integrated Network in New Jersey, announced the formation of a joint venture to open convenient care clinics inside select Rite Aid pharmacies in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey. The first of 10 clinics, which will be cobranded as Hackensack Meridian Health RediClinics, are expected to begin opening later this year (see also Rite Aid Corporation).

"It has always been a core part of RediClinic's strategy to partner with leading health care systems, and we are excited to be continuing this strategy with one of the leading providers in New Jersey," said Web Golinkin, RediClinic CEO. "The joint venture structure will facilitate and accelerate a high level of clinical integration with other Hackensack Meridian providers and facilities, which will maximize the quality, accessibility and cost-effectiveness of care for New Jersey residents."

The Hackensack Meridian Health RediClinics will be staffed with nurse practitioners who will be licensed to diagnose, treat, and, when appropriate, prescribe medications for common medical conditions. The nurse practitioners, who will be employees of Hackensack Meridian, also will administer a broad range of preventive services, including health screenings, medical tests, immunizations, and basic physical exams, including back-to-school and sports physicals. RediClinic's acclaimed Weigh Forward© weight/lifestyle management program will also be available. The nurse practitioners will be overseen by local medical directors who are affiliated with Hackensack Meridian Health. The clinics will be open seven days a week, including extended weekday hours. No appointments will be necessary, but online appointments will be available.

"We are excited to be partnering with RediClinic, one of the pioneers in convenient care, as we continue to find more ways for people to access high-quality care when and where they need it at affordable rates," said Dean Lin, regional president for Hackensack Meridian Health and the Network's executive sponsor of convenient care. "Working with our broad network of primary care physicians, we want to continue to connect people to convenient services."

The clinics will join nine urgent care centers and four AfterHours walk-in care centers currently operating throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties in partnership with Hackensack Meridian Health as convenient and cost-effective alternatives to going to an emergency room.

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation's leading drugstore chains with nearly 4,600 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia and fiscal 2016 annual revenues of $30.7 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company's website at www.riteaid.com.

RediClinic currently operates 35 clinics inside H-E-B grocery stores in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, Texas, and 48 clinics inside select Rite Aid stores in the greater Philadelphia, Baltimore/Washington D.C. and Seattle areas. Since opening its first in-store clinic in 2005, RediClinic has successfully treated more than 2 million patients. In addition to treating common medical conditions and providing preventive care, the company's acclaimed Weigh Forward® weight/lifestyle management program is offered in the company's clinics and licensed to other providers. RediClinic is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rite Aid Corporation. For more information about clinic locations, hours of operation, services, insurance coverage and prices, visit www.rediclinic.com.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 13 hospitals, including two academic medical centers, two children's hospitals and nine community hospitals, physician practices, more than 120 ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and urgent care and after-hours centers. Hackensack Meridian Health has 28,000 team members, more than 6,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The Network's notable distinctions include having one of only five major academic medical centers in the nation to receive Healthgrades America's 50 Best Hospitals Award for five or more consecutive years, the number one hospital in New Jersey as ranked by U.S. News and World Report, consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, recipient of the John M. Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum, a six-time recipient of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For," one of the "20 Best Workplaces in Health Care" in the nation, and the number one "Best Place to Work for Women." Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

The hospitals of Hackensack Meridian Health include: academic medical centers - HackensackUMC in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune; children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; community hospitals - Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, HackensackUMC Mountainside in Montclair, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, and HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley in Westwood. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160823005821/en/

Keywords for this news article include: Hospital, Pediatrics, Rite Aid Corporation, Marketing and Licensing Agreements.

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