Solving health care challenges: ‘The Dr. Will See You Now’
By MARTY MULCAHY
MADISON HEIGHTS,Mich. (PAI)
— The doctor is in ... at the union hall.
Plumbers Local 98 has joined those
forward-thinking building trades unions
on the cutting edge that take control of
their healthcare challenges. As part of
Local 98’s benefit package, covered
members now have their own medical
clinic sponsored by the Plumbers Local
98 Insurance Fund: The Activate Health
and Wellness Center, in Madison
Heights, Mich.
The clinic offers medical checkups,
blood work and prescription drug ther-
apy, as well as any treatments that most
doctor’s offices would handle. Clinic
doctors and staff also offer one-on-one
coaching to help their members deal
with life’s challenges, like stress reduc-
tion, smoking cessation, and weight
loss. The new Local 98 clinic is located
upstairs in what was formerly empty
space above the local’s union hall.
On staff at the Activate Health and
Wellness Center are Dr. Audley
Williams, two medical assistants and a
physician’s assistant health coach.
“This concept has been talked about
for a while,” said Local 98 Business
Manager Carlo Castiglione. “But Oba-
macare really opened the floodgates.
There have been concerns now and in
the future about access to health care,
whether there are enough doctors, and
will they take our insurance? So we de-
cided to take a look at this set-up, and
we really think it’s going to be a great,
cost-effective benefit to our member-
ship.”
The new clinic hosted an open house
in July. Local 98 active and retired
members and families currently cov-
ered under the union insurance plan can
use the facility to get their general med-
ical needs taken care of — with no out-
of-pocket costs and with no co-pays.
Castiglione said in an environment
where health care costs increase 12 per-
cent to 20 percent every year, the clinic
is expected to be a financial benefit to
the Local 98 fund’s health costs.
“With right-to-work here in Michi-
gan, this is an example of what your
union can do for you,” Castiglione
added.
“We understand it’s a new concept,
and people might not want to get rid of
their doctor. They don’t have to. But for
people like new apprentices, or mem-
bers who don’t have a family doctor,
this is the kind of thing that can work
from cradle to grave. And with no out-
of-pocket costs, we anticipate that even
those who currently have a family doc-
tor will give it a try.”
Activate Health Care, in conjunction
with its sales partner, Old National In-
surance, administer the program. Steve
Gillie and Chris Perkins, account exec-
utives with Old National, were on hand
at the open house. Gillie said to his
knowledge, Local 98’s clinic is the first
of its type in Michigan, although there
are some others in the U.S.
“This is really about improving ac-
AT THE
UNION
HALL
cess to primary care,” Gillie said. “Sta-
tistically, we see that 60 percent to 70
percent of Americans do not have pri-
mary care doctors. Many people say the
U.S. has a sickness-based or (an) urgent
care-based health care system. This is a
wellness-based system; our goal is to
prevent sickness.
“This is also about treating the total
person. This clinic will be a tremendous
benefit by providing to the workingman
a concierge-level of care with a great
medical team. And for the health care
plan, it’s going to help combat future
cost increases by encouraging people to
get annual physicals and treat chronic
illnesses early on.”
The clinic’s Dr. Williams is a
Toronto native and graduate of the
Loma Linda School of Medicine in Cal-
ifornia. He specializes in family medi-
cine and disease prevention.
“We have a burdened health care
system, with employers struggling to
pay and patients not always having ac-
cess to the best care,” he said. “This is
an innovative form of health care. Here
the patients will have more time with
their doctor, and their doctor will have
more time to focus on preventative
health care. It’s really a great concept.”
Physician assistant Debra Schmelzer
and medical assistants Leigh Ann Lol-
maugh and Rick Achilli are working
with Dr. Williams at the clinic.
Castiglione said depending on how
the concept catches on within Local 98
and with other union funds as possible
partners, the clinic above Local 98 is
potentially just a start. More medical of-
fices could open, bringing health care
closer to Local 98ers.
“What greater way to take care of
our own and tell the nonunion that they
should be in the labor movement? Now
we have our own doctor!” Castiglione
said.
(Editor’s Note: Marty Mulcahy is
editor of the The Building Tradesman in
Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Honoring Workers this Labor Day
D ENNIS O’M ALLEY
Attorney at Law
Representing union
union members
members for
than
Representing
for more
more
than
25
years
in
workers’
compensation
and
20 years in workers’ compensation and
Social
cases.
Social Security
Security disability
disability cases.
1500 NE Irving Street, Suite 370 • Portland, OR 97232 • 503-243-4899
PAGE 20
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
AUGUST 15, 2014