Seneca Resorts & Casinos expands Niagara Falls health office to cover spouses of team members

On-site office has operated for three years, offering free health care service to team members; Seneca Resorts & Casinos also recently increased wellness incentives

Seneca Resorts & Casinos is serious about health care for its 4,000 team members throughout Western New York. As one of the region's largest private employers, the company took a progressive step in 2011 by partnering with Niagara Family Medicine to open an on-site health office in Niagara Falls with the support and assistance of Independent Health. Now, legally married spouses of team members also will have access to the health office's immediate and preventative health care services at no cost.

The health office in Niagara Falls offers flu vaccinations, evaluation and treatment of common ailments, spot tests, screening and monitoring for blood pressure and sugar levels, pregnancy tests and ear lavage by appointment. An on-site health coach from Independent Health also offers chronic condition management, nutrition and medication education, disease management education and preventative care. Altogether, the health office includes two exam rooms, a nurse's station, a consultation area and a separate room for the health coach.

The expanded coverage for spouses is just one of numerous companywide upgrades to Seneca Resorts & Casino's team member wellness plan. Full-time team members enrolled in the company's medical insurance plan can receive a $35 reduction - up from $30 last year - in their monthly premiums by participating in a yearly biometric screening and personal health assessment, provided at no cost. Seneca Resorts & Casinos also will provide an additional incentive toward health care costs for select team members if the company meets a targeted participation goal.

"Nothing is more important to us than the health and wellbeing of our team members," said Cathy Walker, Seneca Resorts & Casinos president and CEO. "To give outstanding service to our guests, our team members need to feel their best. All of us work in a fast-paced, 24/7/365 environment, so having easy access to quality health care services keeps our operations running at a Four Diamond level."

Seneca Resorts & Casinos has been nominated as one of Western New York's "Healthiest Employers" every year since 2011, and was the winner in the Jumbo category in 2014. The company offers its team members a free fitness center, smoking cessation programs with incentives, diabetes prevention programs and dozens of company-sanctioned 5K walks and runs each year. As of August 2013, team members had shed more than 2,100 pounds through nutrition and weight management programs, increased healthy blood pressure rates by 18 percent, increased healthy cholesterol rates by 19 percent, and increased preventative screenings by 56 percent - exceeding many benchmarks set by Independent Health, Seneca Resorts & Casinos' health plan provider.

For more information, visit www.SenecaCasinos.com.