MADISON, N.J., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated , the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, will provide strep and urine cultures and other select laboratory testing services for free to qualified patients served through the Take Care Recovery Plan, which is an offer, announced by Walgreens and Take Care Health Systems, to provide free health care services at Take Care Clinics. The offer is available to qualified patients, including Take Care Clinic patients, and their immediate family members, who lose their job on or after March 31, 2009, and are uninsured. The offer runs through the end of the year.

"Quest Diagnostics recognizes that many American families are struggling to afford quality laboratory testing services during the current economic downturn," said Steve Burton, vice president, Health and Wellness Services, Quest Diagnostics. "Our participation in the Take Care Recovery Plan will help more patients to access our laboratory testing services. We look forward to participating in the Take Care Recovery Plan, which will extend the range of financial assistance programs Quest Diagnostics has long provided to patients grappling with financial hardship."

"Like Quest Diagnostics, Walgreens and Take Care Health Systems recognize that financial hardships are forcing many individuals to choose among basic necessities such as health care, housing and food," said Hal F. Rosenbluth, president of Walgreens Health and Wellness division and chairman of Take Care Health Systems. "Quest Diagnostics' generous offer to provide laboratory testing services for free to qualified Take Care Clinic patients will help more individuals benefit from Quest's exceptional lab testing services and meet the basic health care needs for them and their families."

Through its participation in the Take Care Recovery Plan, Quest Diagnostics will provide routine laboratory testing services for conditions within the clinic's scope of services when point-of-care testing is not available. Based on prior experience serving Take Care Clinic patients, Quest Diagnostics expects the vast majority of the free testing services it will provide through the Take Care Recovery Plan to be cultures for strep throat and other respiratory ailments and full urine cultures to detect infections of the bladder or urinary tract.

In addition to its collaboration with Walgreens and Take Care Health Systems, Quest Diagnostics provides a range of financial assistance and payment plan options to its patients. For example, Quest Diagnostics offers financial assistance that includes reduced-fee or free laboratory testing services for patients who can demonstrate that they cannot afford to pay for the entire cost of services. The company also provides payment plan options to patients, including those with health plan coverage. For more information on qualifications for financial assistance and payment plans, visit QuestDiagnostics.com/PatientAssistancePrograms.

For more information on the Take Care Recovery Plan and to determine qualification, including accessing applicable forms, visit www.takecarerecoveryplan.com or call 1-866-Take-Care (1-866-825-3227).

About Take Care Health Systems

Take Care Health Systems (www.takecarehealthsystem.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens and part of Walgreens Health and Wellness division, is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and convenient care clinics in the country. TCHS is comprised of Take Care Consumer Solutions (www.takecarehealth.com) and Take Care Health Employer Solutions (www.takecareemployersolutions.com). Take Care Consumer Solutions manages Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens drugstores throughout the country. Patient care at each of the Take Care Clinics is provided by Take Care Health Services, an independently owned state professional corporation established in each market. Take Care Health Employer Solutions manages primary care, health and wellness, occupational health, pharmacy and fitness centers at large employer campuses. Combined, Take Care Health Systems manages more than 700 worksite and retail health care centers.

About Walgreens

Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2008 sales of $59 billion. The company operates 6,679 drugstores in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Walgreens provides the most convenient access to consumer goods and services and cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services in America through its retail drugstores, Walgreens Health Services division and Walgreens Health and Wellness division. Walgreens Health Services assists pharmacy patients and prescription drug and medical plans through Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. (a pharmacy benefit manager), Walgreens Mail Service Inc., Walgreens Home Care Inc., Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy LLC and SeniorMed LLC (a pharmacy provider to long-term care facilities). Walgreens Health and Wellness division includes Take Care Health Systems (www.takecarehealthsystem.com), the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.

About Quest Diagnostics

Quest Diagnostics is the world's leading provider of diagnostic testing, information and services that patients and doctors need to make better healthcare decisions. The company offers the broadest access to diagnostic testing services through its network of laboratories and patient service centers, and provides interpretive consultation through its extensive medical and scientific staff. Quest Diagnostics is a pioneer in developing innovative diagnostic tests and advanced healthcare information technology solutions that help improve patient care. Additional company information is available at www.questdiagnostics.com.

The statements in this press release which are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that they are made and which reflect management's current estimates, projections, expectations or beliefs and which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to be materially different. Risks and uncertainties that may affect the future results of the company include, but are not limited to, adverse results from pending or future government investigations, lawsuits or private actions, the competitive environment, changes in government regulations, changing relationships with customers, payers, suppliers and strategic partners and other factors discussed in "Business" in Part I, Item 1, "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Factors that May Affect Future Results" in Part I, Item 1A, "Legal Proceedings" in Part I, Item 3, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in Part II, Item 7 and "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" in Part II, Item 7A in the company's 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other items throughout the Form 10-K and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

SOURCE: Quest Diagnostics Incorporated

Web site: http://www.questdiagnostics.com/