One or two medical office assistants work at each of the clinics, along with additional clinicians who support virtual care, and Advocate is working to find alternate roles for those employees,

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Advocate Health Care announced Wednesday that it has decided to close its clinics inside Illinois Walgreens drugstore locations. The 47 clinics will all close on Thursday, Feb. 6. The hospital group said the closures will allow it to expand its virtual services and in-person care at its primary and urgent care locations.

Advocate Health Care, the largest provider of medical care in Chicago, is closing 47 clinics it has operated inside Walgreens stores for nearly a decade.

Advocate Health Care is preparing to shut down its in-store clinics across Illinois next week. Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday.

Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens operates retail locations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

The 47 Advocate Health Care urgent care clinics spanned the Chicago area, with locations across the city and multiple suburbs.