Pitt, UPMC to open wellness center for faculty and staff

At the end of the month, UPMC will open a free health clinic explicitly for Pitt faculty and staff.

A UPMC nurse practitioner, nurse, medical assistant and practicing physician will staff the center, MyHealth@Work, which will treat common conditions, such as allergies, fevers, minor cuts or vaccinations, for more than 12,000 faculty and staff at no cost, Pitt said in a release.

The center is a collaboration between Pitt and UPMC, which the UPMC Health System will manage, according to the release. The collaboration will let Pitt broaden the health care it currently offers to all of its employees, the University said in a release.

The center, which opens April 28, is located on the fifth floor of the Medical Arts Building at 3708 Fifth Ave. in Oakland. Faculty and staff can receive services in addition to their current health care plans. The center will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the release.

Currently, Pitt offers several tiers of health plans — from Panther Basic to Panther Gold — that employees can purchase through UPMC. John Kozar, Pitt’s assistant vice chancellor for University benefits, said in a statement Pitt had wanted to open a center like MyHealth@Work for several years.

Kozar said in his statement that the clinic can serve 20 to 30 patients a day through walk-in and scheduled appointments and will likely save the University money in health care fees because its small size makes it low cost to run.

Rich Colwell, president of the Pitt Staff Association Council, said the clinic will have access to patients’ UPMC health records, so employees won’t have to treat MyHealth@Work like an outside doctor’s office.

Andrew Stephany, a member of the Pitt Staff Association Council, said the center will save Pitt staff and faculty money because they won’t have to pay co-pays, and they’ll save time going to a clinic on campus.

“Employees also benefit from the time saved both waiting for an appointment to be available with their primary care physician, as well as work time saved being out of the office,” Stephany said in an email.

According to the release, the center will also offer pharmacy, nutrition and physical activity services, which it will develop in collaboration with Pitt’s Human Resources department. There is not a set date for when the center will roll out the services.

Kozar said in an email the center will include access to a health coach for engagement in disease and lifestyle management resources, including proper nutrition, stress management, smoking cessation and weight management.

According to Modoono, the center is one of 13 MyHealth@Work clinics that UPMC manages for its employees throughout the hospital’s system.

He said the walk-in aspect of the clinic will allow for Pitt staff and faculty to stay focused on their work instead of worrying about meeting specific appointment times.

“Sometimes, because of tight schedules, it is difficult to leave campus to visit a primary care office or specialist,” Kozar said in an email. “The walk-in clinic allows a faculty or staff member to visit with a clinician quickly and avoid any major disruption in a busy work day.”