Partnering for health
Bloom Energy teams with UD for health and wellness
1:11 p.m., March 17, 2015--It’s quiet in the classroom at Bloom Energy’s Newark, Delaware, site, as 25 workers sit with their eyes closed, feet flat on the floor, hands loose on their desks or in their laps.
They breathe in to the count of four, out to the count of eight. The soothing voice of advanced holistic nurse Karen Avino guides the group in releasing stress and practicing mindfulness.
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The session is the second in a health promotion and wellness series that is part of an agreement between the University of Delaware and Bloom Energy. Through the agreement, workers at the company’s site on UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus have full access to the University’s Nurse Managed Health Center for all of their primary health care and testing needs.
“One of the reasons Bloom chose the STAR Campus was the opportunity to partner with UD, not just in engineering but across the board,” says Bryan Horsey, manager of public affairs at the Bloom Manufacturing Center of Delaware. “This is an incredible opportunity, and we’re excited to be the first company to take advantage of it.”
Signed in January, the agreement covers occupational, preventative and educational services.
Michael Smith, director of strategic initiatives and partnerships in the UD College of Health Sciences, sees the agreement as “a wonderful template to utilize in other external settings with employers that will give them fast access to the health care they need as well as opportunities and experiences for our students for full community impact.”
“It’s a mutually beneficial agreement that shows what the future of health care looks like and why proximity to a top-tier university is so important and convenient for industry,” he says.
In addition to providing care for on-the-job injuries, the NMHC can meet the needs of Bloom workers looking for a convenient primary care option.
“Our goal is to provide a valuable service to Bloom as a community partner while also offering the students in our nursing and nurse practitioner programs experience with a variety of workplace and community health issues,” says NMHC director Allen Prettyman. “The focus of our partnership will be on maintaining health and preventing injury and illness.”
Students in all departments in UD’s College of Health Sciences will contribute to the health promotion and wellness series, which will address a range of topics from weight management and exercise to controlling cholesterol and back pain. Flu clinics will also be offered on-site for Bloom workers.
Bloom, which develops a fuel cell technology that efficiently generates clean, reliable power from multiple fuel sources, has a growing manufacturing plant on the STAR Campus.
Article by Diane Kukich
Photos by Kathy F. Atkinson