At a time when unhealthy employees are viewed as expensive employees, grocery and specialty food purveyor Stew Leonard”™s in Yonkers last week provided preventive health screenings for company employees just steps above their store.
Inter State Diagnostic Inc. performed procedures like blood pressure screenings after Stew Leonard”™s director of safety and wellness arranged a partnership.
“I have worked with them in the past as the chief of the volunteer fire department,” Walter Watson said. “We use them to do all of our fire department physicals and they kind of specialize in bringing the whole doctors”™ office to the location like they”™re doing here today. That”™s how I became familiar with them. They come in, they”™re personable and they do a very thorough job.”
Jill Leonard Tavello, executive vice president of culture and communications for Stew Leonard”™s, said the company routinely “surveyed team members and found that many didn”™t know where to get a doctor.”
Stew Leonard”™s, she said, pays 100 percent in full for preventive care for employees and in the long run, cost savings from an insurance standpoint are imminent.
However, she stressed that a focus on nutrition and wellness “is the only thing we”™ve ever done.”
Watson said preventive screenings and physicals are one piece of the pie, but that placing an emphasis on regular physical activity and healthy eating habits is the equivalent in importance.
One team member finds the program convenient, an almost no-brainer.
“When I am working and the company is willing to let me do it here, I said, ”˜Why not?”™” said Evelyn Melendez, a store supervisor. “I don”™t have to wake up early in the morning to go to the doctor. A lot of team members are very interested and there are so many team members that sign up for it.”
Stew Leonard”™s was founded in 1969 and operates stores in: Norwalk, Danbury and Newington, Conn., as well as the Yonkers store.