Variety store chain Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos on Wednesday disclosed why the company sees potential growth in healthcare services.

In a virtual conference call hosted by Barclays, Vasos noted how adding healthcare to stores is important due to a lack of sufficient options for parts of the country. He called such areas “health deserts,” with many locations being in rural or isolated cities.

Vasos said the areas are in a “prime position” to offer people health options.

“We believe we have the ability to service the consumer in a lot of these instances where she today has to drive 30, 40 minutes to get basic health care,” Vasos said.

The chain started this move into healthcare when it announced in July that it will incorporate healthcare first by adding over-the-counter medication. Dollar General announced in an earnings call in August that it would add dental and hygiene products to shelves.

The company hired Dr. Albert Wu as its chief medical officer. Vasos said that Wu on Tuesday led the company’s first steering committee meeting and told investors he is working on even more healthcare plans to come soon.

The company plans to offer telemedicine, store pickup and deliveries for prescriptions.

“While it’s in its infancy stages, we really have an opportunity to grow that healthcare side of the business — not only products in the store, but services,” he said.

Dollar General, which has about 17,000 locations, has faced criticism for "store isolating," since the company doesn't offer fresh produce in underserved areas.

A Bloomberg report in 2017 touched on how the company was spending $22 billion to rapidly expand to poor, rural communities.

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