In the first 16 months since opening its on-site health center at the Huntington, Ind., manufacturing facility, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has achieved a 91 percent screening rate among its 400 employees.
Of those employees identified with high-risk or chronic conditions, nearly three quarters — or 71 percent — have made measurable improvement on at least one risk factor since the clinic opened.
The on-site health center is part of Bendix’s long-standing commitment to employee and family health and wellness. Through a partnership with Marathon Health, Bendix’s Huntington employees have workplace access to healthcare, including primary care, health assessments, health coaching, and disease management.
At the Bendix Health Center, which is staffed by a nurse practitioner and medical assistant, employees and family members receive preventive and primary care services, follow-up care, and referral management. On-site clinicians can either serve as employee primary care physicians or coordinate with employees’ current doctors. The on-site clinic is the first within a Bendix facility. The health center, which sees an average of 90 visitors a month, expanded its hours to meet the growing needs of participants.
“We are committed to promoting a culture of health and wellness within the Bendix family, and our workplace health management program at Huntington – which is based on prevention and proactivity to foster long-term health and vitality – is directly aligned with this effort,” said Tom Geren, human resources manager at the Huntington campus. “Our employees and their families have embraced the clinic, where they and the healthcare staff are building trusting relationships. In significant numbers, they are making the decision — and acting on it — to live a healthier life. The progress they’re making is inspiring.”
Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of leading-edge active safety and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles, has made promoting employee health and wellness a corporate priority for more than a decade. The company places an emphasis on awareness, education, and engagement.
Key to the approach is the Bendix Employee Wellness program, which consists of five categories: weight management, physical activity, tobacco cessation, and stress management, along with prevention and early detection. Yearly physicals and blood screenings are available to employees and family members free of charge through the program. In addition, employees receive an annual personal health assessment – along with free access to resources and counselors through their insurance carrier – to help each individual develop a personal health plan. Employee incentives are designed into the program.
Bendix facilities across North America, Huntington among them, also include on-site employee fitness centers and walking paths. In 2012, all Bendix campuses declared themselves tobacco-free properties. The company’s efforts to create a healthier working environment, decrease absenteeism, and improve employee productivity and health both in and out of the workplace have significantly benefited the company and its workforce.
Bendix did not pass along any health insurance cost increases to its employees for 2013 and 2014 because they were collectively healthier, and its healthcare cost per employee has been dropping.
At the Huntington facility, 96 percent of Bendix’s employees are engaged in some aspect of the plant’s wellness program. The majority of employees, 61 percent, were eligible for the 2014 insurance premium discounts for lifestyle choices. The Bendix mobile mammography program, launched in 2008, screens increasing numbers of women each year, with 88 tested in 2014.
The Bendix Huntington campus, consisting of four manufacturing facilities, opened in February 1980 and includes manufacturing, remanufacturing, and assembly sites, as well as Bendix’s primary North American distribution center.
