Advocate Health Care will close all 47 of its Illinois clinics inside Walgreens stores on Feb. 6, including at least 11 locations in Chicago.
Advocate, the largest health system in Illinois, announced the closures on Wednesday.
It said in an emailed statement: “This allows us to focus on additional ways patients prefer to access care, when and where they need it, including expanded virtual services that provide care within the comfort of their own home, as well as convenient access to urgent care and primary care locations in the community.”
In Illinois, one or two medical office assistants work at Advocate’s Walgreens clinics, along with clinicians who provide virtual care. Advocate said it’s partnering with Walgreens to find alternate roles in the organization for affected employees.
The Chicago clinics closing include :
- 79 W. Monroe St. in the Loop
- 151 N. State St. in the Loop
- 400-410 N. Michigan Ave. on the Magnificent Mile
- 1601 N. Wells St. near Gold Coast
- 3405 S. King Drive in Bronzeville
- 1554 E. 55th St. in Hyde Park
- 5625 N. Ridge Ave. in Edgewater
- 5600 W. Fullerton Ave. in Belmont-Cragin
- 11 E. 75th St. in Chatham
- 7510 N. Western Ave. in West Ridge
- 1633 W. 95th St. in Beverly
Walgreens earlier this month announced it will close five Chicago stores in February on the South and West sides, including one at 3405 S. King Drive. That Bronzeville location has operated for decades.
A Walgreens spokesperson on Thursday said in an emailed statement: “We are partnering closely with Advocate to navigate this transition. Walgreens now offers convenient, affordable online doctor visits in Illinois,” through its online platform, Walgreens Virtual Healthcare.
In October, the Deerfield-based pharmacy chain said it will shutter 1,200 locations across the country by 2027. It will prioritize closing poor-performing stores.
Advocate said in its statement that closing its Walgreens clinics is part of a broader shift in operations.
That includes recently announced investments on the South Side, “where we’re opening Neighborhood Care locations in convenient, familiar settings such as churches and community centers.” It’s also expanding its Imani Village outpatient clinic in Cottage Grove Heights, at 901 E. 95th St., and will add more doctors and services to the site.
In December, Advocate unveiled plans to build a new hospital at the old U.S. Steel South Works site and to add more clinics in Chicago, investing a total of $1 billion.
It’s spending $300 million on the new 52-bed hospital that will sit on 23 acres at the former South Works site, which will become a multibillion-dollar quantum computer campus.
Advocate pledged $700 million for expanding primary care and outpatient services. It will open 10 neighborhood care sites in places like churches and community centers. The first one will open at the South Side YMCA in Woodlawn early this year. Advocate expects to open three sites a year over the next few years.