A-B Tech Launches On-Site Health Care Clinic for Employees

ASHEVILLE, N.C., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, in conjunction with Eblen Charities and Three Streams Family Health Centers, opened a primary care clinic for college employees Sept. 8 on its Asheville campus.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100908/DC61634LOGO)

The clinic provides basic health care services for all A-B Tech employees for $25 for a 15-minute visit, regardless of insurance coverage. Mid-level providers will staff the clinic for two hours a day, twice a month, tending to minor medical issues such as colds, flu, aches, smoking cessation and lesser emergencies. A-B Tech Medical Assisting students will assist as a part of their clinical internship.

"We are pleased to be able to bring this benefit to our employees at A-B Tech. This program is a perfect example of the value of partnerships within our community that serve to benefit the citizens of Western North Carolina," said Kaye Waugh, Vice President of Human Resources and Organizational Development at A-B Tech.

Chris Newcomb, Director of Three Streams, has been a practicing physician's assistant in Asheville for 22 years. "A-B Tech is the best equipped place we go to because of its health care offerings, and we're excited we're going to have help in the clinic from the Medical Assisting students," he said.

"The clinic is a wonderful opportunity for our students to receive hands-on training before they enter the workforce," said Dolly Horton, interim Dean of Allied Health and Public Service Education at A-B Tech.

The Primary Care Clinic at A-B Tech will be the ninth location for the Three Streams Housecall/Employee Health Connection program. The clinics are located from Asheville to Burnsville and were developed with W.P. Hickman Co. to help local small businesses address the problem of uninsured employees.

"This is a good example of a local approach being a good solution to a local problem," said Scott Hickman, CEO of W.P. Hickman. Hickman's company was the first site for the program in 2007.

"Our absenteeism is down, morale is up and health care costs are down. The program pays for itself many times over," Hickman said.

SOURCE Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED