For Tim Lynch and Ray Skinner, a visit to the Adena Health on-site clinic at YUSA Corp. to address some discomfort was supposed to be fairly routine. Instead, those visits uncovered serious heart problems that may have saved their lives.
Adena has operated the on-site clinic at YUSA in Washington Court House since 2018, providing convenient access to care for employees. While most of the clinic’s 50 to 60 weekly visits involve physicals, pre-employment drug screenings, mental health services, immunizations, wellness checks, illness, or minor work-related injuries, some visits have revealed something far more serious.
“Having a clinic on site is very important for general health, as well as dealing with acute illnesses,” said Adena’s Carrese Stevens, CNP, who provides care at the plant. “However, we have had a couple instances of employees coming to us with chest pain who ended up being in the early stages of a heart attack. Had the company not had this on-site clinic, those employees may not have sought immediate care or would have tried to wait for an appointment with a family doctor, and that may have been too late.”
Lynch, a 20-year YUSA employee, was one of those patients. After a day battling pains in his side, he decided to visit the clinic. Despite blood pressure and pulse readings that appeared fine, Stevens decided to run a precautionary EKG. That’s when she discovered Lynch was in the early stages of a heart attack and promptly took steps to get him to the hospital.
“Carrese saved my life,” Lynch said. “The trauma center was waiting for me because she made all the arrangements.”
Skinner, a fellow employee, had a similar experience. After running out of breath every day for a month just walking across the plant to get to his work station, he visited the clinic and said he was thinking of getting a chest x-ray. Instead, an EKG was performed and the results led to a stress test and heart catheterization.
The further testing revealed several severe blockages in his coronary arteries, ultimately requiring open-heart surgery.
“Three months later, I was back to work and have been fine ever since,” Skinner said. “If it wasn’t for the Adena on-site clinic, I believe I would have died.”
The clinic hasn’t only been valuable in emergencies. Brice Graham, a vice president at YUSA, said employees appreciate having the clinic on site, helping them meet their health care needs without having to take time off work for medical appointments. Family members of employees on YUSA’s health plan also may take advantage of the clinic’s services, adding to its convenience.
“The on-site clinic has saved a few lives and we have headed off a lot of potential health issues, and that’s big,” Graham said. “We hear a lot of people say they appreciate having it, and it sends a message that at YUSA, we care about our employees’ well-being.”
In addition to the clinic’s routine services, Stevens said Adena’s mammography bus stops regularly at YUSA to offer breast cancer screenings. During wellness exams, she said any potential care gaps are also reviewed and addressed, such as recommending a colonoscopy be scheduled at the appropriate age.
The partnership between Adena and YUSA extends beyond the walls of the on-site clinic. Both organizations also share a commitment to strengthening health care across the community.
As part of that community stewardship, YUSA provided $20,000 toward construction of the new Adena Fayette Medical Center set to open in 2027. The 65,000-square-foot hospital will enhance specialty and surgical care, offer an on-site pharmacy, provide patients and visitors with more comfort and privacy, and contain what’s needed to keep care for more complex cases close to home.
“We are supported by a local workforce, so we should support our local community by helping provide strong health care,” said Marcel Horiuchi, YUSA president. “This donation will do that.”
For more than 25 years, Adena has helped employers build healthier, safer, more productive workforces through partnerships like the one with YUSA. To learn more about available occupational health services, visit www.adena.org/occhealth.