MinuteClinics

The parent company of Longs Drugs will open more than half a dozen in-store clinics this month.

CVS Caremark Corp.'s MinuteClinic division is opening seven locations in some Longs stores as part of an aggressive nationwide expansion.

The first walk-in MinuteClinic in Hawaii opens on Thursday at the Moiliili store. Locations in Kahala, Aiea, Kapo­lei, Hawaii Kai, Kaneohe and Kai­lua are scheduled to open Sept. 30, according to local store managers.

The so-called convenient care clinics popping up nationwide treat minor illnesses and provide preventive health services such as flu shots within retail stores, supermarkets and pharmacies.

The walk-in medical centers, which will be staffed by nurse practitioners specializing in family health and common illnesses such as strep throat, ear, nose, eye, bladder and bronchial infections, will be open seven days a week with no appointment necessary.

The openings come as the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act rolls out on Oct. 1, making health insurance available to an estimated 100,000 uninsured people in the islands.

"Hawaii's Long's locations are an important milestone in MinuteClinic's national expansion plan to open 150 clinics nationwide in 2013," the company said in a news release.

There are more than 700 MinuteClinic locations in 25 states and Washington, D.C.