It’s not easy for teachers and school staff to get to a doctor, some school leaders say.
They often have to drive at least 15 minutes to their doctor’s office, where they may end up waiting to get into an examination room, then waiting longer to see the doctor, even if they have an appointment. That’s not counting time it might take afterward if they need a prescription.
Leaders of the Pattonville, Parkway and Francis Howell school districts have noticed that their teachers and staff often take at least half a day, if not a full sick day off work to see a doctor. When they do, their schools have to fork out money for a substitute teacher.
Time and inconvenience are among the reasons some staff members do not take advantage of the health insurance they pay for — for example, not everybody gets their free annual physical, said Patty Bedborough, chief financial officer for Parkway.
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So the boards of the three school districts voted this month to team up to open their own employee health clinics, at least one for each district. School leaders expect the move will lower health care costs and make it easier for employees to use the health services they’re offered.
Employees won’t have to use these clinics; they will be another option for employees and their dependents. But because the clinics will be reserved for employees, appointments could be easier to secure and waiting times would decrease.
“What we really wanted to do was change the whole delivery model for health care for our staff, whereby we create a system that accommodates the individual,” said Ron Orr, chief financial officer for Pattonville.
Employee clinics can generate savings because they often are linked with improved employee health, and thus greater productivity. Districts anticipate they will have to spend less on substitute teachers and less on health care, because staff members’ health and well-being should increase if employees see a doctor more often.
A 2012 case study of Nashville Public Schools found that, before it established employee health clinics, the district lost 105,000 work days because of health-related absences. That cost the district $11.7 million in paid sick days, worker’s compensation and other costs and $3.6 million for substitute teachers. The district’s clinics helped save $2.8 million in 2012 and correlated with improved teacher health and even higher student ACT scores, according to the case study.
A poll conducted by St. Louis Area Business Health Coalition found that there are at least 67 worksite health clinics in the St. Louis area. Area school districts that offer health clinics for employees are St. Charles, since 2016, and Fort Zumwalt, since October. Other school districts, including Hancock Place, St. Louis Public Schools and Jennings, have health clinics for students and their families.
“It’s gone really well. We’re experiencing quite a bit of savings and our staff love it because, when they go to our clinic, they don’t pay a co-pay,” Fort Zumwalt Superintendent Bernard DuBray said. DuBray said the clinic had saved the district roughly $20,000 every month.
School leaders estimate the employee clinics could save the three school districts $387,000 total in 2018, then about $4 million in 2020, although that depends on how many employees end up using the clinics.
The three school districts teamed up to open the clinics because doing so together will help reduce costs. They chose CareATC, a national vendor of worksite health clinics, based on factors including cost, scope of services and performance.
The districts plan to open the clinics in the fall.
