Helping everybody get better

H-E-B launches new primary care clinic at South Austin store

The H-E-B Wellness Primary Care clinic is located inside the West Slaughter Lane and South Congress Avenue H-E-B store.

Courtesy of H-E-B

Feeling under the weather? Now, aside from buying pain reliever and picking up some chicken noodle soup, customers at an H-E-B grocery store in South Austin can get checked out by a healthcare professional.

On Thursday, May 12, H-E-B opened its first H-E-B Wellness Primary Care clinic in Austin inside its store at West Slaughter Lane and South Congress Avenue. H-E-B’s first clinic in the Austin area opened in Leander on May 5.

H-E-B Wellness Primary Care clinics offer full-service primary care for patients 12 and older. Services include physical therapy, health and nutrition coaching, specialty care, and lab tests. Each clinic is staffed by physicians, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals.

Leaders of the South Austin clinic are Dr. Holly Easton, a board-certified osteopathic family medicine physician, and Amanda Rowe, a family nurse practitioner who graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2017.

The H-E-B clinics don’t accept health insurance. “The clinics provide high-quality, patient-centered care with affordable pricing for individual visits and the option of monthly subscriptions,” the company says.

A “get well” visit costs $70. These visits are meant for treatment of minor illnesses and infections, and treatment of minor injuries, sprains, or strains.

A “stay well” visit runs $80. It can include a sports or camp physical, an annual wellness exam, or a women’s health exam.

The clinics also offer subscription-based care for either $70 or $90 a month, depending on the level of services.

San Antonio-based H-E-B also operates clinics at five stores in its headquarters city and a clinic at one store in Houston. In those cities, the clinics offer virtual visits for $60 each. They’re designed for treatment of minor illnesses.

H-E-B says that after 117 years of selling food to Texans, it decided to launch H-E-B Wellness to help its customers lead healthier lives.

“In everything we do, our goal at H-E-B is to take care of Texans with a servant heart and a best-in-class experience you can trust. We believe that food plays an integral role in wellbeing, and as one of the largest sellers of food in the state of Texas, we’re committed to making it easy for Texans to live better and healthier,” says Craig Boyan, president of H-E-B.

The grocery chain plans to expand the H-E-B Wellness concept throughout Texas over the next few years.

health

WFH life

Austin plugs in as 2nd cheapest large U.S. city for remote workers

Photo by Lewis Guapo on Unsplash

Working remotely in Austin is far more affordable than many other U.S. cities.

Austin's thriving telework industry is already known for being among the most prominent in the country, and as it turns out, it's one of the most affordable, too. A recent study by online retailer The Perfect Rug has revealed Austin is the No. 2 cheapest U.S. city center for remote work.

The report ranked the top 10 largest U.S. cities based on population data, the number of coworking spaces and cafes per capita, statewide average internet speeds, average apartment rent prices, and more.

Austin falls second to the far west Texas city of El Paso (No. 1), and is followed by Houston in the No. 3 spot.

When it comes to finding the best place to work remotely, Austin has an abundance of options including coffee shops, coworking spaces, and local library branches. According to the report's data, there are about six coworking spaces and 26 cafes per capita in the city, but Austinites know best that there is a much wider variety of places to work from "home" than whatever number a study determines.

The average internet speed in Texas is 425.9 mbps (megabits per second), which is the fourth-highest internet speed out of the six total states (and the District of Columbia) mentioned in the study. Pennsylvania, Washington, and Washington, D.C. all have faster average internet speeds, at 430.8, 451, and 473.8 mpbs, respectively.

The Perfect Rug also calculated the average costs for meals, coffee, and monthly rent in Austin:

$1,467 per month – Average apartment rent cost in central Austin
$21 per hour – Average cost for a desk at a coworking space
$16.99 – Average cost for a meal
$5.36 – Average cost for a coffee

Furthermore, Austin-based remote workers are technically saving on fuel costs compared to those who have to commute into the city daily for their jobs.

A spokesperson for The Perfect Rug said Texas cities like El Paso, Austin, and Houston are far more popular for "budget-conscious" remote workers partially because rent costs are far lower in comparison to many other U.S. cities.

"On the other hand, cities like Washington, D.C., and Seattle, while more expensive, compensate with faster internet speeds and a higher density of workspaces, which can enhance the remote work experience," the spokesperson said. "Finding the right balance between cost and amenities is key for remote workers seeking both productivity and affordability."

Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio ranked as the fifth most affordable city for teleworkers, followed by Dallas (No. 7).

The top 10 cheapest U.S. cities for remote workers are:

No. 1 – El Paso, Texas
No. 2 – Austin, Texas
No. 3 – Houston, Texas
No. 4 – Seattle, Washington
No. 5 – San Antonio, Texas
No. 6 – Washington, D.C.
No. 7 – Dallas, Texas
No. 8 – Denver, Colorado
No. 9 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. 10 – Nashville, Tennessee

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