Tired of rising health care costs, Mississippi company opens clinic for workers and their families
Published 7:34 am Monday, November 1, 2021
Employees of a Mississippi furniture factory are now able to get health care services near their work site.
Southern Furniture Industries recently opened a health and wellness clinic for employees and their families in an effort to control the rising costs of health care, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported. The clinic is staffed with three registered nurses and a nurse practitioner.
Southern Furniture is made up of Southern Motion and Fusion Furniture, with about 2,200 employees at nine facilities in Pontotoc County.
The company’s human resources director Joe Vance said the clinic doesn’t do X-rays but provides many other primary and acute care services.
“The primary benefit is to get our employees participating and utilizing the clinic, as well as those who need some wellness coaching,” Vance said.
The clinic is near the Southern Motion campus and is run by Everside Health. It is open weekdays, but Vance said hours could be adjusted if needed.
Employees clock out to visit the clinic but are paid during that time. Employees have no co-pays or deductibles, and the health plan provides prescription drugs with no co-pay at pharmacies within the network.
Southern Furniture President and CEO Mark Weber said the effort to build the clinic started about a year ago. He said health care costs are a significant financial burden for employees, and Southern Furniture has been exploring ways to reduce those while helping employees and their families become healthier.