ROCKFORD, Ill. – UW Health is opening a new employer-based primary care clinic exclusive to the employees and dependents of Rockford Public Schools District 205.
Located at two current UW Health clinic locations in Rockford, the RPS 205 Employee Health Center is UW Health’s sixth employer-based clinic in the Stateline area, and will start seeing patients Aug. 1.
The innovative, comprehensive and holistic health care approach of the employer-based clinics began for UW Health in 2017 when it partnered with Woodward to open the Woodward Health Center. UW Health has since expanded the model and now provides care for more than 100 local employer groups.
“We are very excited about this new opportunity and proud to begin a partnership with District 205,” said Travis Andersen, chief executive officer, UW Health in northern Illinois. “This employer-based care model has proven to be very successful in the past, as it enables improved access to comprehensive and affordable health care services and wellness programs.”
The RPS 205 Employee Health Center is only available to school district employees and dependents who are covered under the District 205 PPO health insurance plan. The clinic is available for adult and pediatric primary care services, including office visits for preventive, acute and chronic disease management care, as well as laboratory, immunizations and vaccinations, care coordination, annual physicals, sports physicals and wellness services, as well as limited pharmacy services.
Key features of the UW Health employer-based clinic model that RPS 205 chose to offer their members include same-day access to a provider for acute health care issues, longer appointment times and no out-of-pocket costs to utilize the clinic services.
District 205 chose UW Health to manage and operate their employer-based clinic through a competitive bid process, according to Ehren Jarrett, superintendent, Rockford Public Schools District 205.
“UW Health was the only organization that was able to meet the needs of our members by offering two clinic locations, serving the east and west side of Rockford,” he said. “This is not only good for our members, but for the city as a whole, in order to continue investing in all areas of Rockford.”
The 2473 McFarland Rd location will be open five days a week and the 2601 N Main St location will be open three days a week. With the addition of the RPS 205 center, UW Health’s employer-based clinics now care for about 16,000 people. UW Health’s other area employer-based clinics are Woodward Health Center and Woodward Occupational Health Center, Partners Health Center, which currently serves 94 local employer groups, Winnebago County Employee Health Center and Belvidere District 100 Wellness Center.
The RPS 205 Employee Health Center joins the growing trend of large employers in the United States establishing primary care facilities, according to Andersen.
“We are honored to be selected as the care team for District 205 and eager to provide its employees with the remarkable care for which UW Health is known,” he said.
