Wheaton partners with Racine School District to open health center

Wheaton Franciscan Health Care will open an employee health center on Thursday, July 1 for the Racine Unified School District. The center will be located in a suite at the hospital’s Spring St location at 3805 Spring Street.
“We’ve been talking to Racine Unified School District for quite a few years now,” said Judy Gavigan, director of business relations for Wheaton Franciscan Health Care. “We’ve been talking to them about health and wellness and what we can do to be a proactive partner in helping them to control health care costs and improve the health of their workforce, and the health center seemed like the perfect fit.”
According to Gavigan, the fact that Wheaton Franciscan already has established health center partnerships with the City of Racine, Racine County, Racine-based InSinkErator, Twin Disc, Goodwill Industries, and others, helped the school district realize it would be good for them as well.
“Having the other health centers in place for the past few years allowed us to show the school district in racine that there is some real value there,” Gavigan said.
As part of the relationship, Wheaton will provide a Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare nurse, nurse practitioner, and medical office assistant and basic services to all employees, retirees, and their dependents over the age of 16. Pediatric services will be added in the fall of 2010, she said.
“The use of the clinic will be a great benefit to the Racine Unified School District’s insured members,” Gavigan said. “They have a very large workforce and the nurse practitioner model will work very well for them to see some very good cost savings.”
According to Gavigan there are nearly 8000 insured members in the school district’s plan. Members will be able to utilize the center, without a co-pay, to receive basic medical care, nutrition advice and wellness suggestions.
The new employee health center is part of the Racine Unified School District’s wellness initiative, and is intended to help manage health care costs for individual employees and the school district. Some of the services provided will include check-ups, blood work, and the ability to write prescriptions.
“This partnership between Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare and the Racine school district is a positive step in promoting wellness in our community and helping the district manage health care costs,” said Ken Buser, President of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – All Saints. “We’re pleased to offer on-site health care services to area employers.”
Wheaton is in the process of hiring for the positions at the center, and has established set hours for the clinic that accommodate multiple shifts within the school district. The Racine Unified School District is also involved in a wellness campaign to become a designated Well Work Place.
“The health center can play an integral role in the school district achieving that well work place recognition,” Gavigan said. “Once the dedicated staff is put in place, they will have the opportunity to get to know the work group and some of the health issues they are dealing with and they will be able to personalize the care to fit their needs. It really is about building those relationships which will ultimately lead to the employees in the district becoming healthier.”