That’s because a free clinic opened Tuesday in the basement of city hall.

The clinic is staffed by Dr. Jose Porquez and nurse Denise Ward.

It is the first free clinic for city employees in the state.

The primary care clinic will be run by Tennessee-based CareHere! which operates 44 clinics in nine states.

The clinic will save the city’s 225 employees time and money, according to Stephanie Arnold, director of client operations for CareHere!

“Anything in the four walls of the clinic is free,” she said, adding medications are also free.

The program will cost the city $23 per employee or $5,175 per month, Arnold said.

The clinic will be open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursdays.

The clinic will offer a wellness team and a dietician in order to teach employees about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“We’re excited to have this clinic opening here just because we do care about our employees,” Mayor Greg Thompson said. “We do want our employees to be healthy and that’s the main goal.”

According to the CareHere! Web site the facility can “treat primary care needs on-site to minimize direct medical costs, reduce lost work time and absenteeism and improve productivity.”

Source: The Walton Tribune
Original Publication Date: March 12, 2008