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Syngenta’s Road to Health

Courtesy Syngenta

Its Mobile Wellness Unit visits company facilities around the U.S.

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Switzerland-based Syngenta AG (SYT) is taking health care on the road in the U.S. Its Mobile Wellness Unit, part of a proactive wellness program the company says it has adopted, is staffed by a rotation of nurses, a doctor, a wellness coordinator and a driver. This 40-foot RV visits Syngenta facilities around the country. Between its start in March 2009 and year’s end, Syngenta says, the RV visited 61 sites and screened 860 employees and 786 spouses.

The RV is outfitted with equipment that allows medical staff to screen for blood pressure, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. While still in the RV, patients are notified of any abnormal results and, depending on their seriousness, are provided access to a nurse, a licensed dietitian or the company’s disease-management program.

Syngenta says it has seen its U.S. health-care costs rise at a lower rate than the national average, reporting that its average annual health-care inflation rate is 8.9 percent, compared with 9.7 percent for all U.S. employers (2005-2008). But as Syngenta’s CEO Michael Mack points out, initiatives like the Mobile Wellness Unit are ultimately about ensuring that the company reaches its goals. “At Syngenta, our aim is improving the world by bringing plant potential to life. This is our contribution to quality of life around the globe,” Mack says, “which really starts at home.”