On Jan. 15, 2008, McKee Foods contracted with Comprehensive Health Services, Inc. (CHS) to manage its personal health clinics at its manufacturing facilities at Gentry, Ark., and Stuarts Draft, Va., as well as its off-site clinic near the corporate headquarters at Collegedale, Tenn. CHS is a leading national workforce health management company that specializes in health care programs.

In addition to emphasizing preventive health care through wellness screenings and education, the personal health clinics prioritize condition management and are intended to supplement the care of employees’ personal care physicians. Secondarily, the clinics can accommodate short-term, immediate care to employees and spouses enrolled in the “Better Health Pathway,” a McKee Foods corporate health and wellness program designed to help members focus on healthy lifestyle choices. The short-term care includes treatment for common illnesses, from sniffles to rashes, when patients cannot be seen by their physician. Prescription and laboratory services are also available.

The clinic will be staffed by full-time nurse practitioners, who are experienced in primary care and authorized to make referrals, as needed, to next-level medical specialists and private doctors using evidence-based medicine.

“The appeal of the personal health clinics lies in their convenience and accessibility,” says Eva Lynne Disbro, vice president, Human Resources for McKee Foods. “The clinics are located either within or near our plants and have convenient hours to encourage employees to get preventive care and to minimize time away from work. Employees and their spouses can utilize the clinic as a cost-effective supplement to their regular doctor.”

“The industry is experiencing significant change,” says CHS Executive Vice President Stuart Clark. “Employers, like McKee Foods, are demanding more than just high-quality clinical care through their on-site health centers. They’re demanding a patient-centered experience that leverages their larger investments in health improvement and disease management programs. In turn, they’re seeing greater health improvement and disease management program enrollment rates as the onsite health centers become the engines that drive health care to a new level. Returns on investment are significant, both for employers and employees.”

“McKee Foods respects its employees and is committed to provide the finest health care services to assure employee health and well-being,” continues Disbro. “We partnered with CHS because of its extensive experience as a quality provider of on-site health centers for government and industry. For example, CHS provides notable health care services to employees of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, and Nissan North America, Inc. in Smyrna, Tenn. With CHS, McKee Foods pledged to take its employee health care program to a new and higher level.”

Source: BusinessWire
Original Publication Date: March 4, 2008