Spartanburg businesses with 50 or fewer employees will be able to offer unprecedented well-being services thanks to the Wellville Exchange, which is in the early stages of planning. The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mary Black Foundation announced the new initiative on May 22, which developed from Spartanburg’s Way to Wellville in collaboration with the Georgia Health Policy Center.
“The Wellville Exchange strives to give Spartanburg’s small businesses a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talent,” said Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Chamber. “Employers would have the option to invest in their employees by providing benefits primarily offered by large corporations. This program allows Spartanburg and its businesses to show that we truly care about the well-being of our employees. An initiative like the Wellville Exchange is unheard of in other communities.”
Way to Wellville is a community-wide initiative to improve health and well-being in Spartanburg. The Wellville Exchange is born out of two years of research by Way to Wellville’s Small Employer Collaborative with help from the Georgia Health Policy Center, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the City of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, and OneSpartanburg.
“From the earliest days, we knew we wanted to engage the business community in Spartanburg’s Way to Wellville,” said Molly Talbot Metz, incoming CEO of the Mary Black Foundation. “Based on the feedback and ideas of the small-business community, we have been able to develop a pilot that allows Spartanburg’s small businesses access to well-being services that will help their employees maintain and improve optimal health.”
During this time of the pilot program, the team will complete a feasibility study, test the long-term viability, develop core services, and build a sustainable business model.
“Potential resources that could be available through the Wellville Exchange are a Well-being Academy, Access to Virtual Health and Narrow Networks, and Shared Services, such as health coaching, diabetes prevention programs, virtual health kiosks, phone and web-based health care, mobile screenings and immunization, financial and behavioral health services, and tobacco cessation programs,” Metz said.
Small employers interested in providing their input and feedback on how the Wellville Exchange can help them should email Betsy Sikma at bsikma@spartanburgchamber.com.
