Member Medical DPC presents at Facility Managers Meeting
Our thanks to Jim Owen of Member Medical for presenting during our August Facility Managers Meeting. The meeting featured a comprehensive agenda with representatives from various local organizations sharing the latest information on community opportunities available to manufacturing employers.
At the onset of the meeting, Hardin County Schools Transition Readiness Facilitator Lisa Slaven and Elizabethtown Independent Schools Workforce Readiness Coordinator Laura Berger discussed plans for Manufacturing Month, which is set for October. EHCIF and area school districts are once again collaborating for Manufacturing Month to facilitate partnerships between local industrial employers and school systems to organize field trips to local facilities and school visits. This year, the partnership includes Hardin County Schools, Elizabethtown Independent Schools, Meade County Schools, Fort Knox Schools and LaRue County Schools.
Like last year, this year’s initiative will feature two distinct programs for both middle school students and high school students. For middle school students, local industrial employers will visit schools and participate in manufacturing simulation activities designed to educate students on opportunities available within the manufacturing sector. For high school students, field trips to area manufacturing facilities will be coordinated.
Slaven said as a result of last year’s initiative, several area students decided to pursue co-ops with area manufacturers.
Manufacturing employers interested in partnering with EHCIF and area school districts to visit area schools or host facility tours are encouraged to sign up by completing a form here.
Slaven and Berger also discussed Project Opportunity, an initiative from the Lincoln Trail Area Development District (LTADD) designed to provide quality Work-Based Learning Opportunities (WBLOs) for Hardin County high school students. WBLOs can include mentoring, job shadowing, internships and pre-apprenticeships. Employers interested in registering for the program can visit ltcareercenter.org/work-based-learning-opportunities.
In addition, Lisa Wise, CEO of Communicare, also gave a short presentation during the meeting. During her remarks, Wise highlighted Communicare’s Day Training program, which offers employment opportunities tailored to individuals with intellectual disabilities. The program, with roughly 50 participants, meticulously matches individuals to meaningful employment opportunities that align with their capabilities. Through the program, Communicare has secured contracts with industrial employers such as Gates, Plastikon Industries, Fastenal, and Inoac.
Employers interested in partnering with Communicare through this program can contact Sherri Lutz at salutz@communicare.org.
During Owens’ presentation, he focused on the capabilities of Member Medical in meeting the healthcare benefits requirements of employers and their employees. Member Medical operates as a Direct Primary Care (DPC) provider, following a practice and payment model where patients or consumers pay their physician or healthcare facility directly through regular payments for a specific set of primary care services. DPC practices commonly charge patients a flat monthly or annual fee, as stipulated in a contract, in return for access to a wide range of primary care and medical administrative services.
Benefits of Member Medical shared by Owens during his presentation included the elimination of co-pays for patients, same day or next-day appointments, little to no wait times, wholesale pricing with partner pharmacies, and more. Owens also discussed how the DPC model can benefit employers by saving them money on benefits costs, reducing worker’s compensation claims and increasing employee retention.
“Once you get this into your facilities, you’re not going to be able to let it go because your employees are going to appreciate it that much,” he said.
During the presentation, Tom Hustead, a medical leader and physician with nearly three decades of experience in healthcare, including roles such as CMO for Baptist Health Hardin (formerly known as Hardin Memorial Health) and various positions in the U.S. Army, touted the DPC model.
“Looking at things over the last decade, I saw Direct Primary Care as a way to change the way we can provide healthcare in a way that is in my mind the best possible quality that you can get and the best way for the provider to do care,” he said. “And as a system, the fact that it saves you money is great.”
Following Owens’ presentation, Account Executive Katie Kurtz of Heartland Communications shared details about the forthcoming issue of local publication Elizabethtown Lifestyle. Scheduled for release in October, this edition will spotlight regional nonprofit organizations, with local businesses sponsoring each designated feature article. Businesses interested in sponsoring a local nonprofit to be featured in the magazine can contact Kurtz at katie@teamhcc.com.
In addition, Hardin County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Margy Poorman shared upcoming Chamber events employers can participate in, including the upcoming Manufacturing Expo on Oct. 9 and the 2024 Fall Job and Career Fair in partnership with the Kentucky Career Center – Lincoln Trail on Sept. 25. Both events are set to take place at the Pritchard Community Center in Elizabethtown. To learn more and sign up to participate, visit hardinchamber.com.
The next Facility Managers Meeting is set for Sept. 19. For more information, or if interested in attending the next meeting, please contact the Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation at 270-737-0300.