Anchorage Daily News, Alaska, Inside Alaska business column: Business news in brief

Jul. 22--Fred Meyer to add health services


Fred Meyer stores in Alaska are slated to get clinics to handle minor acute health care services, including blood tests and physicals. Fred Meyer has partnered with SmartCare Family Medical Centers of Colorado for the service.


Sarah Johnson, a spokeswoman for SmartCare, said details are still being decided regarding when the clinics will open in each store. The clinics will be staffed by nurse practitioners and certified medical assistants, with a physician on call. The clinics will likely be open every day for the same hours as the store pharmacy, she said. No appointments will be necessary.


The announcement about Alaska was part of a larger partnership SmartCare has made with Fred Meyer in the Pacific Northwest and with Fred Meyer's parent, The Kroger Co., one of the nation's biggest grocery retailers.


Civic center can be tracked online


The city has set up a Web camera that shows the ongoing construction progress for the new Anchorage Civic and Convention Center. The camera is mounted on the sixth floor of City Hall, and the image is updated every 30 seconds, the city said. The image can be viewed from a link at www.muni.org.


Grants meant to spark rural business


The Rasmuson Foundation recently approved $6 million for 22 projects across the state, including $250,000 to the Alaska Manufacturing Extension Partnership for Alaska Marketplace. The competition is designed to stimulate promising business ideas from rural Alaska entrepreneurs and innovators.


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