WOONSOCKET — CVS Caremark confirmed Wednesday that it is moving the headquarters of its MinuteClinic operations from Minneapolis to Rhode Island and laying off about 150 corporate employees in Minnesota.

In a statement, CVS officials said the move was made to bring MinuteClinic more in line with CVS Caremark operations and capitalize on corporate space in Woonsocket.

At some point, the relocation will mean more corporation positions in Rhode Island, said company spokeswoman Carolyn Castel, adding that further specifics have not been determined. Castel refused to be interviewed and would only field questions via e-mail.

Some of the Minneapolis employees will be offered relocation, she said, while others will receive “transition packages” that include health benefits and counseling.

MinuteClinics offer people a chance to address common, minor health concerns with a nurse practitioner on a walk-in basis.

In past news releases, CVS has estimated that it operates about 500 of the clinics in 25 states. There are no MinuteClinics in Rhode Island, although they are available in some Massachusetts stores.

Castel said that CVS expects to open MinuteClinics in its home state “some time in the future.”

Started in Minneapolis in 2000 as QuickMedx, the in-store service that became MiniuteClinic was purchased by CVS in 2006.

The number of clinics grew steadily for a time. However in March of this year, CVS announced that it was closing about 90 of the clinics because they were being switched to a “seasonal” schedule. At the time, CVS gave no more details or reasons for the change.

Barbara Polichetti