By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Editor
TOMAHAWK – One of Tomahawk’s largest employers recently opened a new employee-only healthcare clinic.
Louisiana Pacific (LP)’s eHealth Center, located about three miles from the Tomahawk manufacturing facility, began operating on Feb. 21.
Emily O’Connor, Corporate Communications Specialist for LP Building Solutions, said the clinic is a collaborative partnership between LP and CareHere, an “on-site healthcare industry pioneer that is part of the leading direct healthcare company Premise Health.”
“The concept of on-site or nearby health clinics for employees is a new and exciting benefit emerging in the world of human resources – including at LP,” O’Connor stated.
O’Connor explained that through the partnership, LP’s 140 employees and their family members have access to primary care services, including generic medications, at little to no cost.
The clinic is staffed by a full-time, on-site nurse and a doctor who is connected virtually via HD video.
O’Connor said the clinic offers treatment for both acute and chronic health conditions, noting that the on-site nurse and virtually-connected doctor “can provide care for a sore throat or the flu, and help with high blood pressure, diabetes and other concerns.”
“They can write prescriptions, provide annual physicals, perform on-site blood work, health coaching and more,” O’Connor stated.
LP employees and their family members on the company’s healthcare plan will pay $0.00 for preventative care visits and $5.00 for acute care visits.
O’Connor noted that because the clinic is exclusively for LP employees and their family members, “getting an appointment is very easy, and there won’t be wait times.”
“That makes visiting the doctor quick and efficient,” she said.
Tomahawk Plant Manager Dave Thomas said LP started the process to bring the clinic to Tomahawk roughly three years ago.
In 2020, LP’s first eHealth Center began operating in Nashville, Tenn., where the company’s corporate headquarters are located. Since 2020, clinics in Hayward, Wis.; Sagola, Mich.; Clarke County, Ala.; and Hanceville, Ala., have begun serving LP employees.
The Tomahawk clinic is the sixth that LP has opened. LP plans to open eHealth Centers at all of its U.S. facilities, O’Connor said.
Thomas noted that the clinic has received positive feedback from employees.
“Initially, it sounds like it’s going to go over very, very well,” Thomas stated. “We’re excited about this benefit for our employees.”
