As part of efforts to boost the overall health and wellness of its workforce, Tyson Foods Inc. is partnering with Marathon Health to pilot seven health clinics near company production facilities. The clinics will give Tyson team members and their families easier access to high-quality healthcare and, in most cases, at no cost.

The clinics, which will be operated by Marathon Health, will provide primary and preventive care, including health screenings, lifestyle coaching and health education, as well as behavioral health counseling. They will also collaborate with plant community health providers, including primary care physicians and specialists, to ensure appropriate care is delivered. 

The pilot clinic project represents the expansion of the company’s We Care workplace safety program to include overall team member health and wellness. It is an addition to the company’s existing health services staff, which includes on-site occupational health nurses at most plant locations.

“We’re piloting these clinics to promote a culture of health in our company that results in a healthier workforce,” said Johanna Söderström, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Tyson Foods. “Some of our frontline team members aren’t using their health plan benefits, and others don’t seek care until there’s a crisis. We want to change that by providing access to care that can help detect health conditions early and promote healthy habits.”

“Partnering with Tyson to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees and families is an honor for Marathon Health,” said Jerry Ford, CEO of Marathon Health. “We offer care that often looks beyond the symptoms and helps people take new actions around their own health. We are excited to see the profound changes in the lives of the people we will serve at the Tyson health centers. “

Marathon Health was ranked the #1 worksite healthcare services provider by Klas, an independent research firm that has been providing impartial insights to the healthcare industry since 1996. 

The April KLAS 2020 report said, “Viewed as a strong partner, Marathon Health is the clear performance leader in this market. Clients report positive health outcomes (including improved management of weight and chronic conditions), and high satisfaction with the firm’s wellness and lifestyle coaching and proactive approach to employee health.”

One of the first clinics will be in Storm Lake, Iowa, where the company operates two plants and employs more than 3,300 people. A clinic will also be established at the company’s Holcomb, Kansas, plant that employs more than 3,000 people. The locations of the other clinics will be disclosed soon. Marathon Health is targeting to start opening centers in the first half of 2021.

The seven pilot clinics will serve nearly 38,000 Tyson team members and their families. Spouses, dependents age 2 and older who are covered by the Tyson insurance plan, will be eligible. The clinics will be designed to serve a diverse workforce, providing communications in multiple languages.

"These investments in employee health care, in collaboration with local providers, are critically important to rural communities across the country," said Maggie Elehwany of the National Rural Health Association. "We look forward to working with Tyson Foods and other public and private partners to ensure the health and wellbeing of rural America's families." 

The clinic services are in addition to the benefits already offered to team members such as affordable health, life, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits. Tyson Foods requires all regular, full-time team members who have completed 59 days of employment to have health care coverage through either the company-sponsored health plan or through a family member’s plan. This means that 100 percent of the company’s eligible team members have access to health care coverage.

As recently announced, Tyson Foods has created a chief medical officer position and plans to add almost 200 nurses and administrative support personnel to supplement the more than 400 people currently part of the company’s health services team. The new chief medical officer will lead the company’s strategy for occupational health and team member wellness.

Source: Tyson Foods Inc.