LA MARQUE – Galveston County and the City of Galveston opened a second employee health clinic this morning in La Marque. Listen: RealPlayer MP3
The new Galveston County Government Employees Healthcare Center at 2600 FM 1764, Suite 140A, joins the flagship clinic that opened in August 2007 at 1701 23rd St. in Galveston.
Both clinics serve employees of Galveston County and the City of Galveston, and are not open to the general public. However, the clinics are expected to have a positive impact for local taxpayers by trimming government employee health care costs.
Though the Island clinic has only been open nine months, the medical staff has pinpointed potential savings of $535,000 through early diagnosis and treatment of manageable ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure and prostate problems.
The wellness clinics, managed by CareHere, a private contractor selected by the Galveston County Commissioners Court, offer a variety of services at no cost to Galveston city or county employees. Several other cities in the county have expressed an interest in joining the program and negotiations are continuing.
The clinics are staffed by medical doctors, certified physician assistants, and other medical staff.
Feedback from county and city employees has been positive, said County Commissioner Stephen Holmes, who was tasked by the County Commissioners Court with leading the implementation of the clinic program.
“We had been looking for ways to help our employees improve their health while also trying to help contain rising costs to the taxpayers,” Holmes said. “The Galveston clinic has already exceeded our expectations, and we expect the same positive results from the La Marque clinic. This second clinic will help us meet the growing demand for services from our city and county staff.”
The La Marque wellness center is designed to serve the approximately 1,000 City of Galveston and Galveston County employees who live in Southern Galveston County, primarily Texas City and La Marque. A third clinic serving the North County, Friendswood-League City area is expected to open in late 2008 or early 2009.
A pharmacy component will be available in the Galveston and La Marque clinics in late July or early August, where employees can fill prescriptions for 200 common generic drugs.
Statistics gathered by CareHere reveal that employees are making heavy use of the Island clinic. Between Aug. 15, 2007 and May 3, 2008, more than 3,800 of the available 4,474 appointment slots were filled, representing a utilization rate of 85 percent.
In addition to receiving comprehensive wellness exams, employees can receive care for common ailments such as colds, flu, sore throats and asthma.
“I am pleased that we are able to offer this convenient medical option for our employees,” Holmes said. “The expected savings to taxpayers also is encouraging, and I look forward to additional savings when all three clinics are operational.”