Expansion of services, new execs enhance care model

With nearly 200 clinics in stores operated by Kroger across 10 states, The Little Clinic has become a vital healthcare source for millions of patients across the United States. To ensure that it stays that way, the company has expanded the breadth of the services it offers in some clinics and added new executives to its management team.

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Founded in 2003 and a wholly owned subsidiary of Kroger since 2010, The Little Clinic surpassed the 4 million patient mark earlier this year.



“Hitting the 4 million patient milestone is quite an accomplishment for our company and for the great team of providers The Little Clinic has working with patients each and every day,” president and CEO Colleen Lindholz said. “It is also an indication that today’s consumers desire quality, affordable care on their timetable.”



Around the same time, the company formed a clinical collaboration that allows patients enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University Health to access the program’s physicians and specialists at Little Clinics in four Richmond, Va., Kroger stores.



More recently, Little Clinic has bolstered its executive team with the promotion of VP and medical director Marc Watkins to the post of chief medical officer.



Watkins’ elevation to the position came two months after the company announced that it was adding registered dietitian nutritionists to its clinics in Nashville, Tenn.; Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio; and Denver.



“Kroger is a health-and-wellness leader in so many regards that it’s a natural extension of our business to add dietitians to our care model,” Lindholz said. “We are now able to help our patients make a better connection between food and overall health, and provide personalized food-related guidance to each individual patient right inside the store where food decisions are made.”



VP of retail dietetics and nutrition solutions Eileen Myers, the executive overseeing the dietitian program, said the Little Clinic is the ideal place to offer such services.



“Our approach is truly a hands-on approach because we can easily take a store tour with patients, guide them to the foods that best fit their nutrition goals, teach them how to read food labels and create a personalized food plan to best support the patient’s goals — whether that’s weight management, food allergies, diabetes, improved sports performance or other health concerns,” she said.