Older adults in central Ohio can find more specialized care right where they get their medications thanks to a new health center opening up in Columbus’s North Linden neighborhood.

CVS Pharmacy and Oak Street Heath, a primary care clinic owned by CVS Health, will be under one roof at 3100 Cleveland Ave.

While the pharmacy will be open to all, the clinic will focus on “Medicare-eligible adults” and providing primary care. The aim is an integrated team approach between health care providers and pharmacists to make the care process as seamless and accessible as possible to create a deeper, more trusting relationship between patients and providers, according to Dr. Maria Wilson, executive medical director for the central division of Oak Street Health.

“This is a number one goal for us,” said Yahya Al Ansari, the health center’s pharmacy manager. “I think we’re very unique right now… We’re talking about health, improving people’s health, and we’re making them like one big family together.”

Another similar clinic and pharmacy center opened in 2024 at 2020 Eakin Road in the city’s Hilltop area. There is also an additional clinic and pharmacy combination location opening in Cincinnati.

A place for health and community

Having the pharmacy and health care providers in one location will also help break down barriers like transportation, according to a CVS Health news release, and eliminate care gaps on top of creating closer patient and provider relationships — all of which can improve health outcomes.

In addition to pharmacy and primary care services, the center also provides immunizations, behavioral health care, psychiatry, and specialty care like podiatry. Specialty services they can’t provide can be referred out.

Pharmacy delivery services are also available. Qualifying patients can request transportation through Oak Street Health for any appointment needs.

The center also includes a community space with chairs and tables, scheduled activities, computer access, board games, refreshments and a television. You do not need to be there for patient purposes to enjoy the community space, a CVS spokesperson said.

Isolation is as big of a health impact as many others, Wilson noted, as evidenced by the COVID pandemic when such loneliness and isolation soared, especially for older adults.

“We think it’s very important for our patients to have places where they can congregate safely and socialize with others, and that’s going to play a tremendous part in their overall wellbeing,” Wilson said.

Eligible patients can visit oakhtreethealth.com or cvs.com to learn more about the care they can receive from both the pharmacy and the clinic.

Pharmacy closures still looming across the country and Ohio

The opening of the new combined health center in North Linden comes on the heels of the closure of nearly 200 pharmacies across Ohio in 2024, according to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy, dropping the number of pharmacies statewide to below 2,000 for the first time in a decade.

The closures primarily involved locations of retail pharmacy chains like RiteAid and Walgreens, as well as CVS.

Approximately 60% of those closures in Ohio were in what are classified as “high and medium-high vulnerability neighborhoods.”

CVS Health is expected to close more pharmacies across the country in 2025, though it’s not entirely clear where, or if any will be in Ohio.

“There really is a need, and so we’re there,” said Wilson. “If we could place one everywhere, we would, but we cannot, so we try to just make sure we can place (the combined health center) where we can really impact the population.”

Medical business and health care reporter Samantha Hendrickson can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com