WellStar and Walgreens Announce Clinical Collaboration Agreement

MARIETTA, Ga., October 16, 2013 - WellStar Health System and Walgreens (NYSE: WAG) (Nasdaq: WAG) today announced a clinical collaboration agreement that will provide coordinated and expanded health care services, while improving access to high-quality, convenient and affordable care for patients in the northwest Atlanta market.

WellStar Urgent Care Centers and physician practices will work with Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens to handle serious conditions outside of the clinics’ scope of practice, and to help manage the treatment of chronic diseases. While Walgreens and Healthcare Clinic strongly encourage all patients to have a designated primary care physician and medical home for ongoing needs, the collaboration will provide WellStar patients access to quality care seven days a week. The collaboration will include direct communication between WellStar physicians and Healthcare Clinic nurse practitioners to facilitate care coordination and sharing of patient information, and enhanced awareness of Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens and WellStar services.

“This collaboration extends quality care directly into our communities to provide greater access for patients,” said Reynold Jennings, WellStar president & CEO. “We believe our communities will benefit from this type of collaborative model as we join forces with Walgreens to deliver more coordinated care.”

With the Affordable Care Act expected to bring millions of new patients into the healthcare system, the relationship aims to help address some of the needs and challenges facing both patients and healthcare providers.

“With the healthcare system today facing a myriad of challenges, Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens can play an important role in enhancing patient access to quality, convenient and affordable care,” said Alan E. London, chief medical officer, Consumer Solutions Group, Walgreens. “Working with a highly integrated health system such as WellStar offers an ideal opportunity to further coordinate patient care in northwest Atlanta. We look forward to working together to help patients in these communities get, stay and live well.”

Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens-area locations partnering with WellStar include:

• 1762 Mars Hill Road, NW, Acworth

• 4120 Austell Road, Austell

• 9465 Highway 5, Douglasville

• 2779 N. Cobb Parkway, Kennesaw

• 2464 Roswell Road, Marietta

• 2988 Shallowford Road, Marietta

• 5230 Dallas Highway, Powder Springs

• 2670 Cobb Parkway, SE, Smyrna

About WellStar Health System

Recognized as the fifth most integrated healthcare delivery system in the country, WellStar Health System is one of the largest not-for-profit health systems in Georgia and serves a population of nearly 1.4 million residents in five counties. The vision of WellStar is to deliver world-class healthcare. A national leader in the transformation of healthcare delivery, WellStar launched two initiatives in late 2012 – the Center for Health Transformation and the Georgia Health Collaborative – that will have far reaching effects on healthcare both locally and nationally. WellStar includes WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (anchored by WellStar Kennestone Hospital) and WellStar Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; the WellStar Medical Group; Urgent Care Centers; Acworth Health Park; Health Place; Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing Center; and the WellStar Foundation. For more information, call 770-956-STAR or visit wellstar.org.

About Walgreens

As the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2013 sales of $72 billion, Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) vision is to be the first choice in health and daily living for everyone in America, and beyond. Each day, Walgreens provides more than 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy services includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. The company operates 8,117 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers, provider practices, and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 750 locations throughout the country.

FOR MEDIA INFORMATION:
WellStar Media Smart Phone: 770-630-0106
Jim Cohn, Walgreens, 847-315-2950
jim.cohn@walgreens.com