Kristen Helton, PhD, general manager and director of Amazon Care, is taking time away from the tech giant's primary healthcare initiative as it acquires One Medical, Bloomberg reported Aug. 11.
Dr. Helton's break began earlier this summer. "After more than 5 years at Amazon, Kristen decided to take some well-deserved time off to spend the summer with her family," an Amazon spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement. It is unclear when she will return.
As general manager of Amazon Care, launched in 2019, Dr. Helton oversees the primary-care service with telehealth and in-person treatment options in several cities, including Seattle, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In February, Amazon unveiled plans to expand Amazon Care to 20 more cities, including New York, Chicago, Miami and San Francisco.
Amazon announced plans to acquire One Medical for $18 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.9 billion on July 21. One Medical is a membership-based primary care service that promises customers around-the-clock access to virtual care. The company currently operates or has planned operations in nearly 20 cities and partners with more than 8,000 companies for employee benefits.