Walmart has announced the launch of its largest pharmaceutical Central Fill facility to date in Frederick. The new 102,000 square-foot operation will be designed to process up to 100,000 prescriptions daily and will support over 700 Walmart pharmacy locations across the U.S.

The Frederick facility is located at the center of Walmart’s Eastern regional network and will work to fully automate prescription workflow by using advanced robotics and dynamic weighing systems. The process handles everything from pill counting and labeling to capping and sorting. Through automating routine tasks, Walmart aims to free up in-store pharmacists to focus on more patient-facing clinical services, including immunizations, disease management, and diagnostic testing.

According to the Washington Business Journal, Walmart has hired nearly 200 workers for the processing facility, including pharmacists, technicians, security, human resources, and more. The Frederick facility focuses on refilling maintenance medications for chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, while prescriptions for acute needs, like antibiotics for infections, will continue to be filled at local stores.

After reviewing potential locations for distribution and logistics, workforce, and real estate, Walmart chose to expand in Maryland. “There were many, many sites that we looked at across the country and, ultimately, in this case, Frederick stood out,” Kevin Host, Walmart’s senior vice president of pharmacy, told the WBJ.

The new site is already fully operational and represents a significant step forward in modernizing prescription services, while creating jobs for Frederick County and expanding access to essential medications.