An on-site medical and wellness clinic was made available to the associates of Bison Gear & Engineering Corp., as well as their spouses and adult dependents, starting Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011. Associates covered under Bison Gear & Engineering's health insurance plan will have convenient and hassle-free access to an on-site medical clinic for acute care, preventative care, prescriptions for acute episodic care, point of care testing, lab work and chronic disease management. "We are thrilled to offer onsite health care and wellness services to our valued associates and their families," said Sylvia Wetzel, chief learning officer at Bison. "Providing an easy-access wellness platform right onsite promotes better health and working environments overall for everyone at our company."

The on-site clinic will be available by appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to medical care services, associates can meet with a clinician to have certain health measures taken, such as blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels. Understanding and knowing personal health metrics is a key step toward improving one's health. Offering these types of services onsite provides a virtually hassle-free way to personally engage each employee in their own wellness due diligence. "Bison Gear & Engineering is committed to its loyal team," said Martin Swarbrick, CEO of Bison. "A wellness program that has real effects is the foundation for a working environment that is healthy and thrives, and is at the core of what our company does each and every work day."

The on-site clinic provides a no-commute way for associates to receive health care and offers a shorter wait time to access services. It will ultimately provide a more effective employee wellness program, to the benefit of all at Bison Gear & Engineering. The clinic is a part of the Advocate Dreyer Medical Clinic, a multi-specialty physician group serving the Fox Valley area. "The partnership between Bison and Advocate will be the model for the future by having a provider network partner with employers to address their health hare needs, to keep their associates healthier, productive and improving the costs associated with health care," Wetzel said.