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'Little Clinic' set to open at Publix in Wellington
By Dwayne Robinson
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 10, 2007
WELLINGTON - Publix's first health clinic in a Palm Beach County grocery store is scheduled to open in the village in less than two weeks.
But some Wellington residents say once produce and groceries are mixed with patients with flu-like symptoms or other ailments, Publix will become the place where shopping was once a pleasure.
On or about May 20, Publix, Florida's largest grocer, plans to open The Little Clinic in its store at 13880 Wellington Trace, near Greenview Shores Boulevard. The clinic, also commonly known as a "doc in a box," would have an on-staff nurse practitioner during hours similar to its pharmacy's to perform health services for Publix customers, such as school physicals, vaccinations, cholesterol screenings or providing prescriptions for sinusitis, the flu or ear infections.
Publix's pitch for the roughly $50-a-pop services at the clinic, one of four slated to open in South Florida in the next month, is the added convenience, like avoiding long waits at a doctor's office or seeing a nurse while stocking up on cough medicine and orange juice.
And one of the key targets are parents.
"You don't have to take off from work anymore if your child has an earache," Publix spokeswoman Anne Hendricks said. "Your child doesn't always get an earache between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., when the doctor is open."
But Binks Forest resident Shauna Hostetler, a mother of five, said she doesn't feel a grocery store is the right place for a clinic.
"I think it's disgusting," Hostetler said. "That's really what I want to think about when I'm getting food. I can't see why it's a great service to the community."
Some other Wellington residents also say the clinic would be like a magnet, drawing even more sick patrons to Publix than is typical. Plus, they're concerned that those with more serious injuries or sicknesses may seek medical assistance there.
"That's what the emergency room is for," Hendricks says. "The Little Clinic is not set up to handle serious medical care, and it won't handle serious medical care."
Neither the Palm Beach County Health Department nor the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services were alarmed by the proposal, which is becoming a growing trend across the country, including with other chains such as Wal-Mart. Publix reports it has 16 other stores in five states with the clinics.
"Publix is a very, very responsible organization," Department of Agriculture spokesman Terrence McElroy said. "I don't think they would be involved if they thought it constituted a risk. We do not."
Wellington's clinic would be in the old photo center near the store's entrance, but Hostetler, who still has two school-aged children, said she would never use it. "And I've had times where I've had emergencies in the middle of the night and had to wait at Palms West (Hospital) for four hours," she said.
I will not give my opinion on this... but I cannot wait to see what you guys have to say
And here is a challenge for you: I notice something about this article that is very interesting - not related to the clinic itself. I wonder if you guys notice it or not...
