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Dollar General has confirmed to Endpoints News that it’s shut down its mobile healthcare clinic partnership, the latest in a string of retail health exits.
The discount store chain started a partnership with DocGo in January 2023 to deliver urgent and preventative care to customers at three Dollar General locations in Tennessee. Clinicians performed checkups, vaccinations and lab testing, along with care management for some chronic conditions such as diabetes. The small program was an early step in Dollar General’s plan to become — in its words — a “health destination” for rural communities.
On Wednesday, Endpoints reported that Dollar General removed mentions of the program from the landing page for its healthcare initiative some time in the last several months. And when called by Endpoints, DocGo’s hotline said it was no longer offering appointments at Tennessee Dollar General locations that were piloting the program.
After Endpoints’ report, Dollar General confirmed the shutdown of the program.
“Following the mobile clinic pilot program and careful evaluation, Dollar General and DocGo made the mutual decision to end the program. Dollar General remains committed to providing access to basic health and wellness products in our more than 20,000 stores across the country,” Dollar General said in a statement.
DocGo also confirmed the shutdown, adding that patients reported a positive experience at its Dollar General mobile clinics. The company said it helped patients transition to receiving care from other local resources.
The fledgling program’s demise is the latest in a string of ill-fated attempts by retailers to get into the business of delivering healthcare services. Last month, Walmart shut down its healthcare business, closing 51 primary care clinics and its virtual care offering. And in March, Walgreens said it was closing 160 VillageMD clinics.
Dollar General first unveiled plans to push into healthcare in 2021. It hired a chief medical officer, former McKinsey consultant Dr. Albert Wu, and said it would stock more medicines and other health products in its stores. It also said it planned to offer healthcare services.
The company said in a June post last year that it plans to expand the mobile clinic offering to additional stores in the future. But aside from the mobile clinic pilot, the chain’s push has been limited.
Shares of Dollar General rose nearly 8% in premarket trading after the company posted earnings Thursday morning that beat Wall Street expectations, citing increases in customer traffic and net sales.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include confirmation from Dollar General and DocGo of Endpoints’ earlier reporting.
