Metro Nashville Public Schools Links Teacher Health to Cost Savings & Academic Achievement

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF., May 6, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On-site clinics and value-based healthcare benefits for teachers and administrative staff helped Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) save $2.8 million dollars in 2012. Perhaps more importantly, healthier teachers are associated with less employee absence and better school performance.

The full story can be read in a new case study from the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), "Metro Nashville Public Schools: A School Links Teacher Health to Cost Savings & Academic Achievement."

MNPS overcame numerous political and financial challenges – including budgetary restrictions in the wake of the Great Recession – to launch its on-site clinics. The clinics, instituted at several schools in the district, were located in remodeled portable classrooms. At each clinic, teachers and administrative staff had access to integrated disease management and wellness professionals, face-to-face counseling with family nurse practitioners, and health coaches. MNPS also provided a value-based healthcare plan ("Plus Plan") which offered employees some preferred brands of chronic disease medications for free and other reductions to out-of-pocket costs.

"Like all urban school districts, we struggle with student achievement standards mandated in federal laws such as 'No Child Left Behind,'" noted David Hines, Director, Employee Benefit Services at MNPS.

"All these components were based on our approach of increasing employee engagement with personal health, promoting primary care in a medical home, removing obstacles to care, enhancing management of chronic conditions, and promoting early treatment in a face-to-face setting," said Hines.

"Metro Nashville Public Schools is an employer that did its homework," said IBI President Tom Parry. "Their investment in integrated health management and focus on performance relative to achieving organizational goals is a blue print for other employers."

About the Integrated Benefits Institute:

The Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI), an independent nonprofit membership organization, is the leading provider of health and productivity research, measurement and benchmarking. Founded in 1995, IBI provides members with data, research and tools to make sound investments in workforce health. Its 1,100+ members including companies that implement health-related benefits for their employees and business, and providers of health and productivity services. Additional information about IBI may be found at www.ibiweb.org.