A new McKee Family Health Center and Pharmacy, located at 9526 Apison Pike, is set to open on Monday, Dec. 5, according to McKee Foods Communications and Public Relations Manager, Mike Gloekler.
“Our hope is to provide a convenient single-stop resource for [our] employees and their families to get the day-to-day health and pharmacy care [as] needed,” said Gloekler.
The existing McKee Foods health clinic will move to this new property, and the new center will introduce a pharmacy service, Gloekler explained.
In an email to the Accent, Gloekler shared that the property originally belonged to McKee Foods and was sold to SunTrust Bank years ago. The property was repurchased back by McKee when SunTrust and BB&T merged, closed and moved to its existing location in Ooltewah.
“The existing health clinic, though owned by McKee Foods, is operated by a third-party contractor, Premise Health. Daily functions, the hiring process and specifics concerning eco-friendly habits of the pharmacy will continue to be managed by Premise Health,” the email stated.
According to Gloekler, the pharmacy is not open to the general public. It will be for McKee employees and their families who are a part of the health plan offered by the company, as well as retirees of McKee.
He explained that the company believes the pharmacy will be beneficial and convenient for employees and plans for there to be some cost savings to [the] health plan by providing a pharmacy resource directly to them. The pharmacy’s proximity is consistent with the company’s desire to promote wellness for its employees.
“This location will offer additional over-the-counter health and wellness products including the ability to order durable medical equipment (DME) such as mobility equipment,” said Gloekler.
According to the McKee Foods website, the company has long practiced environment-friendly actions for economic and ecological reasons.
“We are also pleased to be able to repurpose an existing building, and we hope it will be viewed as a community asset,” Gloekler wrote concerning how this new establishment aligns with the company’s eco-friendly conscientiousness.
“I think this also shows our continued willingness to invest in Collegedale, just as we are with the expansion of the Apison Plant,” wrote Gloekler. “As a large manufacturing employer, we desire to be an asset to Collegedale and greater Hamilton County.”
