Dwindling access to primary care in many rural Maine communities often means lengthy trips or long waits for an appointment. To fill that need, alternatives to traditional doctor’s visits — direct primary care and on-site workplace clinics — are cropping up around the state.
Just two weeks ago, wood siding manufacturer LP Building Solutions partnered with Tennessee-based Premise Health to open a primary care clinic for 135 employees and their families as part of parent company Louisiana Pacific’s effort to expand on-site health care at its U.S. manufacturing locations.
This is the latest example of a growing trend of Mainers seeking alternatives to traditional doctor’s visits. It comes as access to primary care declines throughout the state, leading to hours-long drives or years-long waitlists just to see a doctor.
This clinic could be transformative, said Bob Nason, a mechanical supervisor at the New Limerick plant.
“I see this as a major benefit for everyone at the plant and for our families,” Nason said. “Too often, people put off getting checked when something doesn’t feel right because it takes too long to find a doctor, schedule an appointment, or get a referral. The delays, along with deductibles and copays, can make it feel like more trouble than it’s worth.”
Going across the street for quick care makes it easier to address concerns early, without the hassle of multiple calls or long wait times, he said.
On-site industrial or school nurses have been around for decades to handle occupational injuries, provide work-related exams or care for students. But on-site full-service primary care clinics for employee and family health needs are a more recent trend.
In Maine, companies such as IDEXX and L.L.Bean have partnered with InterMed, a Maine-based physician group, to bring doctors to employees’ workplaces.
Onsite clinics are particularly effective for employees with chronic conditions and medication compliance in areas with limited access to care, according to the National Institutes of Health.
The New Limerick location is LPs 12th clinic, said New Limerick Plant Manager Andrew Savage.
“It is part of the company’s people first approach,” he said.
The clinic offers same or next-day appointments for preventive and acute care, including lab testing, nurse visits and advanced telehealth physician care.
For employees with the company’s health insurance plan, the service is free. For other employees there is a $50 flat fee that includes required lab work or physician visits, according to Brandy Briner, a registered nurse who works at the clinic and is employed by Premise Health.
The clinic is located in a building across from the main plant and, like any physician’s practice, employees or family members schedule appointments for care. It has a waiting room, lab testing area and exam room.
Appointments are available for lab work only, nurse visits only, or combined nurse and physician visits, Briner said.
In the lab Briner can run rapid result tests for flu, COVID and strep to give an immediate result so patients don’t have to wait for needed medications. Other lab tests are mailed through FedEx for results, Briner said.
Two physicians oversee virtual care at all of the LP wellness center locations and are licensed to provide care in the states they are serving, company spokesperson Trevor Bowden said.
At the New Limerick clinic, patients are seen by Briner and a remotely stationed physician. With the assistance of advanced digital patient monitoring devices, the physician can listen to all four chambers of the heart, listen to the abdomen for bowel sounds, see down a patient’s ears or throat and examine the skin for wounds, rashes or other abnormalities.
These hand-held digital tools are being used throughout the country in an effort to bring care to patients in underserved areas.
Since opening March 31, the clinic has seen steady patient traffic, Briner said.
“As one of the more experienced employees here, I plan to use this benefit whenever I can,” Nason said. “To me, it shows how much LP values its employees. I’ve been here 26 years and always thought it was a great place to work, and this just adds to that feeling.”
