SAN ANTONIO — A growing number of companies are making it easier for employees to get better access to healthcare through on-site health clinics.
KENS 5 spoke with Hilton Palacio del Rio, managed by Zachry Corporation, about its new clinic that opened in December. It’s the first hotel in San Antonio to provide this resource for all 350 employees. The center is open three days a week and provides consultations with a doctor. Employees can drop in or make an appointment.
“At Zachry Corporation, we're interested in providing the best benefits to our team members. We're a lot like a family and looking to improve their lives and improve the ability to come to work each day,” hotel manager Troy Benavides said. “On site we have EMTs. They partner with doctors in satellite locations. All the tools and equipment have cameras attached to them.”
Irene Garcia, assistant director of sales at the hotel, said she benefited from the clinic when she had an earache. She recalled how the visit to the clinic was more convenient than going to a doctor’s office.
“The equipment they used to look in my ear was great. You could actually see it on the screen yourself,” Garcia said. “I didn't have to leave the office, get in the car, go to the doctor’s office and then waste time there sitting in the waiting room.”
On-site clinics have shown to not only improve employees' health, but make financial sense for a company. It helps work productivity and lowers costs long-term.
“Hopefully we can catch anything they have quicker and reduce the time away from work and improve their lifestyle,” Benavides said. “We're the only hotel in San Antonio that has this type of offering. We're looking forward to this being a tremendous benefit for our team.”
Other San Antonio companies that have on-site health clinics include Randolph Brooks FCU, Spectrum Association Management, Valero and USAA. USAA has two clinics on its campus that include a pharmacy.
"The main clinic was started in the early '90's and primary care was added in 2012," said Laura Propp, lead communications director at USAA.
Valero has had its on-site health clinic for more than 15 years.
“As part of our health clinic services, Valero provides our employees a free comprehensive annual health assessment to identify and prevent issues,” said Valero spokeswoman Lillian Riojas. “Also, in 2017, we opened a Family Wellness Center to provide similar health care services for eligible dependents of our employees in San Antonio.”