It’s no secret that Walmart has pretty much everything. From groceries to clothing and electronics to even being able to pick out a new pair of glasses, get a prescription filled or get your nails done, you can knock out a lot of errands all in one stop.
Now, some Walmart shoppers can even set aside some time for their mental health, with a new outpatient clinic opening inside a store in Carrollton, Texas. Behavioral health services company Beacon Health Options is leasing space in the store and runs the clinic. The practice is staffed by at least one clinician who can help customers through problems like depression, anxiety and stress, grief and relationship issues.
The idea behind opening up the clinic in a retail space like Walmart is not only the convenience of having a location in a place people already know how to get to, but also because it helps address the shortage of behavioral health care professionals in rural parts of the U.S.
“This initiative combines our company’s behavioral health expertise with our longstanding dedication to making quality care more accessible,” Russell C. Petrella, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Beacon, said in a press release. “We chose a retail setting for the first practice because it offers the convenience of a local neighborhood location that is close by and easy to get to, and our evening hours accommodate our patients’ schedules.”
According to Beacon Health Options, one in five adults in the United States will experience mental health issues, but they say many do not have access to quality care. That includes in Texas, where more than 10.1 million people live in an area that is considered to have a shortage of mental health care professionals.
While Beacon Health Options does not say how much it will cost to visit the clinic or if insurance will cover any of the costs, they do say they’re evaluating other locations as well, so there’s a chance you could see a similar clinic near you in the future.