Suiza Dairy employees enjoy sweeping health options
Suiza Dairy is implementing wellness initiatives throughout its operation to benefit employees and their families.
The more than 800 employees working at dairy and juice manufacturer Suiza Dairy Corporation in Puerto Rico, now have at their disposal a tailor-made, comprehensive wellness and health program designed to improve their quality of life, the company announced Thursday.
Medical and Disability Management Group, a division of BSG Alliance Inc. is overseeing the service, that included the installation last week of a medical unit at the manufacturer’s Puerto Nuevo headquarters.
“What we’ve developed for Suiza Dairy is a program that goes far beyond having a Health and Wellness Center in the work area,” said Rolando Nieves, president of BSG Alliance. “It is an integrated, holistic effort with a series of modules designed to prevent health conditions of employees, and, from the point of view of the employer, to ensure that each step of the claims related to the health plan or government health agencies and the State Insurance Fund are followed properly.”
As a first step in the program, employees at Suiza Dairy’s five locations — in Aguadilla, Hatillo, Juncos, Ponce and San Juan — received information on prevention, nutrition and health education from a certified health and fitness consultant.
The second stage works with aspects of occupational medicine (medical clinic services) and non-occupational (nutrition education activities and health promotion), using the resources of a doctor and a nurse.
Suiza Dairy’s Human Resources Manager, Manuel Velázquez, said hiring MDM is part of an in-house initiative that seeks to position it as among Puerto Rico’s best employers.
“We sought out MDM because we believe it is the leader in this field, looking for them to design a program that will bring tangible benefits, with a dietitian, a nurse and a doctor who will know each employee’s health details to develop an integrated program for them that makes a difference in their daily lives and that of their family,” said Velázquez.
As for the cost of the initiative, it does not represent an additional burden for Suiza Dairy, but rather seeks to achieve reductions in State Insurance Fund premiums and in the long run to improve its workforce’s health and reduce health plan claims.
