DEERFIELD, Ill. & WATERTOWN, Mass., March 29, 2012 - Take Care Health Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG), and Tufts Health Plan today announced the opening of a workplace health center called the BeWell Center, offering wellness and preventive care, symptom care, and laboratory services to Tufts Health Plan employees and contractors.
The BeWell Center is staffed by a nurse practitioner, medical assistant and wellness coach, and supported by a local, collaborating physician. The center is located at the company’s headquarters in Watertown, Mass. and is available for more than 1,700 Tufts Health Plan employees. The new facility complements an existing fitness center also managed by Take Care Health Systems.
“We are pleased to offer our employees another terrific way to access wellness at the worksite. The BeWell Center complements our WorkingWell Center, which is full and robust with fitness equipment, exercise classes from zumba to yoga, nutrition classes, acupuncture and massage,” said Lois Dehls Cornell, senior vice president of Human Resources and general counsel for Tufts Health Plan. “Relatively few companies nationwide currently have workplace wellness centers; we strive to serve as a model for employers with a similar mission and focus.”
“Tufts Health Plan is ranked among the top health plans in the nation and is known as a leader in health and wellness. We are pleased to build on this relationship by enhancing their workplace offerings,” said Peter Hotz, Walgreens and Take Care Health Systems group vice president. “This facility will help improve the health of Tufts Health Plan employees while helping keep costs low for both employees and the plan.”
Employers increasingly are looking to offer workplace health and wellness services according to a 2011 report from Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health. Results published in the report were generated from a survey of 588 employers conducted between November 2010 and January 2011 and showed that 23 percent of companies currently offer workplace health services and that an additional 12 percent of companies plan to begin offering services in 2012.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is the nation's largest drugstore chain with fiscal 2011 sales of $72 billion. The company operates 7,840 drugstores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each day, Walgreens provides nearly 6 million customers the most convenient, multichannel access to consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health and wellness services and advice in communities across America. Walgreens scope of pharmacy service includes retail, specialty, infusion, medical facility and mail service, along with respiratory services. These services improve health outcomes and lower costs for payers including employers, managed care organizations, health systems, pharmacy benefit managers and the public sector. Take Care Health Systems is a Walgreens subsidiary that is the largest and most comprehensive manager of worksite health and wellness centers and in-store convenient care clinics, with more than 700 locations throughout the country.
About Tufts Health Plan
Tufts Health Plan is a nonprofit organization nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. The plan offers both members and employers an array of physician-led, health management programs, which support evidence-based approaches to health and wellness. Tufts Health Plan’s HMO and POS are ranked second in the nation, and its Medicare Advantage HMO program ranks among the nation’s top 10 Medicare Advantage plans in the nation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Visit us on the web at www.tuftshealthplan.com.
Walgreens
Gabe Weissman, (484) 351-3040
gabriel.weissman@walgreens.com
http://news.walgreens.com
or
Tufts Health Plan
Sonya Hagopian, (617) 972-1090
sonya_hagopian@tufts-health.com