GARDEN CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — As part of efforts to boost its workforce’s overall health and wellness, Tyson Foods, Inc. is partnering with Marathon Health to pilot seven ‘Bright Blue’ health centers near company production facilities. The health centers will give Tyson team members and their families easier access to high-quality healthcare and, in most cases, at no cost.
The health centers, which Marathon Health operates, provide primary and preventive care, including health screenings, lifestyle coaching and health education, as well as behavioral health counseling. They also collaborate with plant community health providers, including primary care physicians and specialists, to ensure appropriate care is delivered.
The naming of the health centers, ‘Bright Blue’, is intended to convey the outlook of a bright future thanks to easily accessible healthcare and the company’s familiar heritage color, blue.
“We’re piloting these health centers to promote a culture of health and wellness in our company that results in a healthier workforce,” said Dr. Claudia Coplein, chief medical 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.”
The clinics will also collaborate with plant community health providers, including primary care physicians and specialists, to ensure appropriate care is delivered.
The pilot health center 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.
“Partnering with Tyson to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees and families is an honor for Marathon Health,” said Jeff Wells, 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.”
The health center in Garden City is expected to open this summer.
The seven pilot locations 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.
The health center 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 a family member’s plan. This means that 100 percent of the company’s eligible team members have access to health care coverage.
The health clinics are the latest in a series of measures the company has taken to invest in the health and wellness of its employees. Since spring 2020, the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to transform its U.S. facilities with protective measures, from walk-through temperature scanners and workstation dividers to social distance monitors and always-on testing, as well as provide additional team member pay and benefits. Tyson Foods has also expanded its health services staff and added a chief medical officer.
