Walmart has backed off its goal of becoming the supercenter of health care in America. But the retailing behemoth is still finding ways to expand its footprint in health services as it searches for new areas of growth and tries to take advantage of the shifting landscape in the provision of health care in the United States.

On Monday, Walmart will start offering vaccinations for infectious diseases beyond influenza and pneumonia at 2,700 U.S. stores on Monday: HPV, meningitis and eight other diseases and conditions recommended by the federal government via pop-up kiosks at the front of the stores and a contracted network of registered nurses.

"The goal is to take advantage of the fact that these individuals are in our stores shopping for groceries every day," said Dr. John Agwunobi, Walmart's president of health and wellness, according to the Wall Street Journal. "We want our customers to begin to see us as a destination not just for nutriton but for preventive health care."

But while Walmart may be unique, its health care vision isn't. A number of other retailers, including drugstore chains Walgreen's and CVX Caremark, also have been ramping up the number of injections they provide as well as other health care services. And with American parents mindful of vaccination requirements and wary of the return of their children to school, this is the time of year when brands typically ramp up their health care offerings. Continue reading...

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A former employee at Toronto's Whole Foods may think the place is a "faux hippy Wal-Mart," as he mentioned in his extremely nasty, mass-emailed, 2,000-word resignation letter to all of the store’s thousands of employees, but that’s not stopping the company from fostering its wholesome image and starting up a charitable organization.

The Associated Press reports that the organic grocer's newly established philanthropic arm, the Whole Kids Foundation, “aims to provide children with access to healthy foods.” The plan is to “work with schools, educators, and other organizations to help improve children's food choices,” the report adds.

With a mission to "support schools and inspire families to improve children's nutrition," the first project the foundation will engage in is to follow in the footsteps of First Lady Michelle Obama and support teaching gardens this fall, so that kids can get a better sense of the food they eat by taking part in the growing process.Continue reading...

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