City employees soon will have a lower cost health care option available to them. The city of Kokomo has entered an agreement with Novia Care Clinics to begin providing primary health services by the beginning of next year.

City controller Jim Brannon informed the Kokomo Common Council of the new service at its Nov. 9 meeting.

"We have signed an agreement to have a Novia clinic for city of Kokomo employees, retirees, and their dependents," said Brannon. "The clinic is designed to provide needs assessments and a wellness program. We are going to house the operation at the Early Learning Center. We are in the process now of retrofitting the structure.

"This is designed to cut costs and provide service. It sounds a little bit strange, but we have analyzed this. We have tried to find a downside to it, and we can't find one. If you are a city employee and you go to the clinic, there is no co-pay. And if you receive drugs, there is no co-pay for your drugs."

The clinic is funded on a per employee/per month fee. The city also will pay the cost of staffing, providing generic prescription drugs, lab tests, and supplies. Despite those costs, the city estimates the agreement with the clinic will save taxpayers and city employees anywhere between $400,000 and $1 million a year.

The funding for the retrofitting is coming from the Early Learning Center's unused appropriations, according to city director of operations Randy Morris.

"We hope this will allow us to not raise costs to the employee," said Brannon. "We are excited about this benefit to the employees."

The city is planning a number of informational meetings for city employees in advance of the roll-out of the service, Brannon added.

Novia Care Clinics currently works with the town of Fishers, the Brownsburg public school system, and a number of private employers. And primary care clinics are nothing new in the health care field. Larger employers have utilized such clinics for years.

The clinic will offer standard primary and preventative care similar to that offered by a family physician or internist. Some prescription pharmaceuticals that are not controlled substances will be dispensed on-site. And average wait times are expected to be less than 30 minutes.

Morris also stated that on-the-job injuries of a non-emergency nature will be required to go through the Novia clinic once it is operational.

Brannon explained that the city and county are in discussions to share the costs as a joint operation. Morris said that the clinic is expected to be open three days a week, but a partnership with the county could expand those days of operation to five or six days. The clinic currently is slated to begin operations on Jan. 4, 2010.

The council will hear a full presentation on the Novia Care Clinic at its Nov. 23 meeting at 6 p.m.