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Walgreens Offers Free Care...

...to the unemployed and uninsured through the end of the year.
"Hal Rosenbluth, chairman of the Take Care Health Systems division, described the plan as something close to an experiment: He said Walgreens isn't sure of patient demand or how much providing the services might cost the company.

"It's likely to generate more attention for the clinics, however. Rosenbluth said a typical Take Care patient tells eight other people about his or her experience. So far, about 30 percent of Take Care patients were new customers to Walgreens."
Also covered under the "free" umbrella is Quest Diagnostics, Take Care's medical lab provider.

Consumers have long memories, and tend to reward those helping out when help was desperately needed. I'll bet the experiment generates tremendous goodwill for Walgreens, goodwill that translates into loyal, PAYING customers when the economy improves.

Other providers will ask "What's so great about Walgreens? We've been treating people for free right along! We have to - it's the law!" True. But somehow they're not getting the same credit for it that Walgreens is. Maybe when you're forced to do something, you have a hard time seeing it as an opportunity. Sort of like forcing a 5 year-old to eat asparagus. It's yucky now, but wait 'til he's 30 and eating it voluntarily.


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