Riverview Hospital and Community Health Network are partnering to provide an on-site primary care employee health center for Noblesville Schools. The Noblesville Schools Employee Health Center, slated to open in early September, will be in vacant space inside a building that currently houses one of Riverview’s CarePoint Immediate Care centers. The facility, set to be refurbished for the new health center, is located southwest of the intersection of State Road 32 and State Road 37.

“Healthy teachers and staff not only provide a better classroom experience for students, but they can also act as powerful role models in the effort to improve the overall health status of children,” said Steve Zetzl, vice president of Infinity Employer Solutions, an integrated employer health model provided by Community Health Network. “Community is excited about the opportunity to partner with both Riverview Hospital and Noblesville Schools to create this employee health center. By combining resources and focusing on providing convenient, wellness-focused care, we hope to improve health, decrease medical costs and create a culture of wellness throughout the school system and community,” Zetzl said.

Community Health Network and Riverview Hospital partnered to provide sports medicine services for Noblesville High School athletes during the 2009-2010 school years. The Noblesville Schools board approved a contract May 17 for both health care organizations to continue providing these services through the 2011-2012 school years.

The health center will operate like a typical family practice physician’s office, with Community and Riverview providing the medical and office support staff. The 1,375 (550 employees) members covered under the Noblesville Schools medical benefit plan will be able to visit the center without any office visit co-pay. The center will also be open for family members of these employees. Staff can use the health center during lunch and prep periods, making medical visits convenient, so they don’t have to request partial or whole days off for health care services.

“As an employer, we understand that addressing the health and wellness needs of our employees is paramount to a positive and productive work environment,” said Pat Fox, president/CEO of Riverview Hospital. The opportunity to partner with Community Health Network to take our shared expertise into the schools was a natural way to care for those who care for and teach our children and grandchildren.  This initiative will improve the health status of school district employees, and reduce medical costs for the district. We are thrilled to be a part of it.”

“We are excited to be able to offer our employees the opportunity to become a part of the health clinic,” said Dr. Libbie Conner, superintendent of Noblesville Schools. Our staff will benefit immediately from the convenience of the clinic and the cost savings it provides. We know that as parents taking care of ourselves is not always a top priority. This will make it easier and less costly for our employees to take care of themselves, as well as their families. The end result will be that fewer claims are filed with our insurance provider and the increases we see in our insurance premiums will not be as drastic as they have been in the past, Conner said.”