ETFN opens on-site medical clinic

In an age of rising health care costs, one local company is making strides to provide quality care for an affordable price to its employees. ELLWOOD Texas Forge in Navasota (ETFN) has decided that an on-site medical clinic is a great service that will help combat rising costs.

On Oct. 22, ETFN officially opened a medical clinic on-site that will service its employees and their spouses for a nominal fee of only $5. “Health care expenses have been on the rise since 2010 and we have launched several initiatives to help lower cost,” stated ETFN President Dr. Valli Senthilnathan. “Employees have had to share some of the burden of cost at times, but the majority has been absorbed by the company.”

Senthilnathan said with the company spending more on health care it has impacted their ability to reinvest into the employees and into operations.

The goal for ETFN management is to provide a clinic with easy access that may be utilized to help with preventive care. “If we can focus on preventative checks then hopefully, we can prevent medical conditions that have catastrophic expenses,” said Senthilnathan.

The clinic is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays and the nurse practitioner on-site is Stacy Guitterrez. She is overseen by a licensed Texas doctor and can provide a variety of services.

Guitterrez can write prescriptions, give sutures, has a lab and can send off for further lab results. Some of the common treatments treated at the clinic are cough, flu, cold, sinus infections etc. Guitterrez can also help employees monitor their blood pressure, cholesterol, sugar levels and ensure the medications they are taking are working. One service the clinic is unable to offer are x-rays.

The services of the clinic are offered with a unique convenience where employees don’t have to leave the facility to be seen at the clinic or even clock-out. The clinic is confidential and not located near the main office.

Currently the clinic has treated approximately 24 employees but have administered flu shots to about 50 of 100 employees that signed up for the vaccination. “The flu shots at the clinic are a great way for employees to be introduced to Guittierrez and the clinic,” stated Lauri Glaymeyer.

“Better employees mean better productivity, better safety and better quality of life for the employees and their family. It’s important to us that we take care of our employees,” explained Senthilnathan. He said the clinic is starting on a limited basis, but the company is open to expanding as the need arises.

ELLWOOD is a company whose headquarters are in Pennsylvania and is over 100-years old. They have over 20 plants across the U.S. and a couple in Mexico. The clinic in Navasota is one of only a handful of clinics provided by ELLWOOD.