TAMPA, Fla. — Walgreens plans to shift the operation of in-store health clinics in the Tampa, Fla., area to the Florida Hospital health system.

Plans call for Florida Hospital to operate and provide all clinical services at 15 Walgreens Healthcare Clinics inside the drug chain’s stores across Tampa. The clinics are slated to transition to Florida Hospital this summer and will become part of the Florida Hospital Physician Group.

Walgreens will continue to manage the Healthcare Clinic locations until that time, and the clinics will be renamed Florida Hospital Express Care at Walgreens, Florida Hospital said Wednesday.

Also under the partnership, Walgreens plans to open a pharmacy at Florida Hospital Tampa later next year.

“Today’s announcement is another example of how we’re developing new and innovative relationships with community health systems — collaborations that offer our patients a true continuum of care and provide more convenient access to a trusted healthcare provider in the community,” Pat Carroll, chief medical officer for Walgreens Healthcare Clinics said in a statement

Florida Hospital Express Care at Walgreens will operate seven days a week, including evenings. Walgreens and Florida Hospital will form a collaborative council to share best practices and experiences to improve patient care.

“Florida Hospital Physician Group is excited to manage the operations and clinical services for these retail health clinics that will soon be known as Florida Hospital Express Care at Walgreens, providing patients across Tampa Bay with a continuity of care from their initial clinic visit through their ongoing primary care and specialty care needs,” stated Chris Jenkins, president of Florida Hospital Physician Group, which has more than 160 providers in 45 locations representing over 25 medical specialties.

Florida Hospital noted that the clinic and pharmacy partnership stands to deliver more coordinated care and provide greater access to patients across the Tampa region.

“This collaboration will allow Florida Hospital to expand our footprint in the Tampa Bay area. We are proud to collaborate with Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest drug store chains, to help provide improved access and convenient healthcare in our community,” commented Mike Schultz, president and chief executive officer of Florida Hospital West Florida Division, a nonprofit, 1,295-bed hospital system with nine hospitals.

Part of the Adventist Health System, Florida Hospital is a leading health network comprised of 26 hospitals throughout the state.

The collaboration with Florida Hospital marks the second clinic partnership that Walgreens has announced in recent weeks. Last month, Walgreens said it’s transitioning 17 Healthcare Clinics in South Florida to the University of Miami Health System (UHealth). Walgreens is slated to open pharmacies at three UHealth facilities and serve as the exclusive retail pharmacy provider.