Greenheck Group has reaffirmed its commitment to improving healthcare accessibility and affordability for employees and their families through an expanded partnership with Premise Health. According to Chief Human Resources Officer Carrie Strobel, the collaboration strengthens the company's employee wellness initiatives by providing easier access to onsite medical care, virtual health services, and a wider range of healthcare solutions for its North Carolina workforce.

The newly established Greenheck Group Wellness Center, situated on the company's Commerce Center Drive campus, is operated by a dedicated Premise Health medical team. The facility offers an extensive selection of healthcare services, including primary care, pharmacy support, physical therapy, care coordination, and patient navigation. Employees and their eligible family members can also take advantage of Premise Health's virtual wellness platform, enabling convenient access to medical care from virtually anywhere. By combining in-person and digital healthcare options, the program aims to deliver better health outcomes while creating a more seamless and convenient care experience.

Premise Health Chief Operating Officer Beth Ratliff highlighted the continued collaboration as an important step in Greenheck Group's long-term investment in employee well-being. She noted that the new Shelby wellness center expands access to integrated healthcare by bringing together primary care, preventive services, and multiple care delivery channels. The shared objective of both organizations is to provide more connected, accessible, and effective healthcare for every employee and their family.

Earlier in the year, Greenheck Group and Premise Health also enhanced the services available at the company's existing Wellness Center in Schofield, Wisconsin. Based at Greenheck Group's flagship campus, the facility serves approximately 2,500 employees and their family members, offering many of the same comprehensive healthcare services now available at the newly opened Shelby location.

When living with a condition that often brings pain and necessitates frequent medical visits, finding comfort becomes essential. This is the reality for approximately 100,000 Americans affected by sickle cell disease, including over 4,000 in South Carolina alone.
 
In July, University of South Carolina's celebrated Head Basketball Coach, Dawn Staley, partnered with Aflac to offer comfort to 16 pediatric sickle cell patients at Prisma Health Children's Hospital-Midlands by gifting them their very own My Special Aflac Duck®. This robotic companion helps children express their emotions, get ready for medical procedures, practice distraction techniques, and more.
 
Before receiving their new companions from Coach Staley, the children participated in a scavenger hunt through the hospital. The sickle cell version of My Special Aflac Duck features a special cape, resembling a blanket, to reflect the sensitivity sickle cell patients often have to temperature changes. The cape also serves as art therapy, transforming into a color-changing canvas when activated by water.
 
Designed in collaboration with over 100 children, families, and healthcare professionals, this duck uses medical play and lifelike movements to support children during their treatments. In 2022, Aflac enhanced the program to include specific accessories that assist pediatric sickle cell patients with their care routines.
 
Since the program's launch in 2018, Aflac has distributed over 31,000 My Special Aflac Ducks to children in the U.S., Japan, and Northern Ireland, with nearly a third going to those diagnosed with sickle cell disease. Aflac’s dedication to supporting pediatric cancer and blood disorders has spanned decades, with more than $184 million contributed to treatment and research since 1995 by Aflac employees, independent agents, and The Aflac Foundation, Inc.
 
Healthcare providers, support organizations, and families can request a free My Special Aflac Duck for children aged 3 and older who have been diagnosed with cancer or sickle cell disease by click here.