Tyson Foods said it will open seven health clinics near its production plants, offering workers and their families easier access to health care at no cost.
The clinics, operated by Marathon Health, will offer primary and preventive care, such as health screenings, education and counseling, and collaborate with the patients' primary doctors and specialists, the company said Thursday.
This is part of Tyson's plan to encourage health and wellness among workers, Johanna Soderstrom, Tyson's executive vice president and chief human resources officer, said in a statement.
"Some of our front-line team members aren't using their health plan benefits, and others don't seek care until there's a crisis," she said. "We want to change that."
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The company expanded worker safety efforts earlier this year in response to the pandemic, checking body temperatures at the doors, installing clear plastic workstation dividers and temporarily relaxing its attendance policy for workers, among other measures. It began testing workers on site for covid-19 using mobile clinics in April with help from Matrix Medical.
Of the 3,748 workers tested in Northwest Arkansas, 481, or 13%, tested positive and nearly all were asymptomatic, Tyson reported in June.
The company's latest effort to have general health clinics at some locations has been in the works for about a year, spokesman Derek Burleson said in an email Thursday.
"We're taking a holistic view of the health of our team members and their families," he said. "We want to help them live healthier lives."
The first clinics will be at a pork plant in Storm Lake, Iowa, and a beef plant in Holcomb, Kan., where more than 3,000 people each work, the company said. Tyson did not disclose the other clinic sites. They are set to open next year.
Workplace injuries and illnesses, including cuts and conditions from repetitive motions, are common in the industry. According to 2018 data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. meat industry's injury and illness rate was 5.1 per 100 people; poultry's was 3.5.
One of Tyson's goals is reducing injuries and illnesses each year. Citing OSHA data, the nation's largest processor of meat and poultry reduced its rate by 15% to 3.32 last year.
Tyson is expecting the clinics to serve nearly 38,000 workers and their families. Spouses and dependents older than the age of 2 who are covered by Tyson's insurance plan are eligible. The clinics are offering communications in multiple languages.
In the U.S. meatpacking industry, a recent study shows more than half of the workers in the plants are foreign-born, primarily Black or Hispanic, and live at or below the poverty line. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think-tank based in Washington, D.C., workers also disproportionately lack health insurance.
While most will receive the clinic's care at no cost, Tyson said workers enrolled in a high-deductible plan will pay a fee for visits until the deductible is met. This applies for less than 2% of the company's workforce. About 141,000 people work for Tyson.