A new case study by the RAND Corporation, published in this month’s Population Health Management journal, explores how onsite clinics and wellness programs may work together to improve employee health outcomes. The commentary highlights The Wonderful Company’s efforts to build a culture of health by implementing a comprehensive program, including integrated primary care clinics completely free for employees and their dependents, health coaching, healthy cafes, and physical wellness.

Wonderful Health & Wellness was introduced in 2015 to improve the health of thousands of employees and their families, and, more specifically, aimed at combating the high prevalence of pre-diabetes and diabetes in California’s Central Valley. Initial Wonderful Company internal results are promising, including a 33 percent reduction in the prevalence of pre-diabetes after the first three years of the program’s initiation.

“Promoting a culture of health and wellness in the communities where our employees live and work is at the core of our mission,” said Dr. Larry Wolk, chief medical officer at The Wonderful Company. “We’re gratified to see that our multifaceted program, including investments in the social determinants of health, is making a difference in the well-being and lives of our employees and their families."

According to the commentary, combined wellness programs and onsite clinics aim to address the full spectrum of health and wellness, from promoting health and treating acute illnesses, to managing and preventing exacerbation of chronic conditions. Further, this comprehensiveness ensures every employee can pursue a healthy lifestyle by accessing specific services they need to improve health and wellness. Frequent face-to-face interactions between employees, health coaches, and primary care providers at the workplace may be more effective in building a culture of health than telephonic programs used widely by other employers.

Given increasing interest by governments, foundations and large employers to affect positive health outcomes amongst employees, this case can serve as a basis for further discussion and advancement in this area of health system innovation. To learn more about The Wonderful Company’s Health & Wellness programs, visit http://www.wonderful.com/social-responsibility/health-wellness.html.

About Wonderful Health & Wellness

Wonderful Health & Wellness was created to change the paradigm of health in California’s Central Valley by addressing the root causes of debilitating chronic diseases that disproportionately affect the communities where 10,000 of The Wonderful Company’s employees and their family members live and work. Funded by Lynda and Stewart Resnick, owners of The Wonderful Company, Wonderful Health & Wellness uses innovative, data-driven programs to dramatically improve the standard of health in this underserved region. Wonderful Health & Wellness offers state-of-the-art primary care clinics at the company’s Central Valley worksites and schools that integrate medical, nutritional, physical wellness, and behavioral health services. The overarching goal is to curb the epidemic of chronic metabolic disease and ensure that employees and their families are making healthy choices at home, at work, and within their communities.