Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023–12:40 p.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
The City of Rome’s General Administration Committee voted Thursday to go with Atrium Health Floyd as the new provider for an employee wellness clinic.
The contract, with the city’s portion being roughly $200,000, is expected to go into effect by March 1, after it is examined by the city attorney.
Plans are for the wellness clinic will be located in what’s known as the 330 building, next to Floyd Medical Center, which has a full retail pharmacy.
“The idea of having an employee wellness clinic is very beneficial to an organization such as ours,” said Rome City Manager Sammy Rich. “We’re service delivery, so if our employees aren’t healthy and at work, they obviously can’t deliver the services. Having the clinic has been one of those tools to help us keep the employees happy, and to encourage preventative measures. If you’re staying on top of your health, and you are going in, getting your checkups, and you’re able to get your medications, you are much more likely to stay on maintenance meds, heading off any larger sickness or illness down the road.”
In addition to being a popular benefit for employees, the city could possibly see some pharmacy savings.
“As every employer knows, healthcare is expensive,” Rich added. “It’s one of those things we all have to deal with as employers. So, anything we can do to save money is going to be positive.”
According to Floyd County Manager Jamie McCord, the county also plans to go with Atrium Health Floyd. He has spoken to each of the commissioners and he hopes the agreement will be ratified during the next county commission meeting on Feb. 14.
The City of Rome and Floyd County have been looking at other providers for the clinic after receiving notice late last year that AdventHealth Redmond was preparing to terminate the agreement.
The contract, which was approved in 2021 before Redmond was purchased by AdventHealth, came with automatic renewal each year unless either side wanted to terminate with 60 days’ notice. In this case, AdventHealth gave 90 days’ notice, giving the city and county until March 1 to find another provider.
This agreement with Atrium Health Floyd is very similar to the one with AdventHealth.
Around 2,500 employees and their family members use the current employee wellness center, located at 2112 Shorter Avenue.
Services offered include pre-employment screenings, post-accident, workers’ compensation, and firefighter physicals. Employees can also save money on copays and other basic medical services by going to the clinic.