Franklin County considering free gym memberships for employees

(Chambersburg) — Franklin County is considering offering free gym memberships to its employees, butit’s not about just offering an additional perk to workers.

The county spends between $4 and $5 million a year on health care for its 700 workers.

Human Resources Director Tiffany Bloyer says she sees the program as a potential way to save money.

Volvo Construction Equipment covers employee gym memberships in Franklin County,and says its health care costs are nearly 25 percent less than its other divisions.

Bloyer says the program’s potential benefits aren’t just financial.

“Ahhh, a lot of it’s about wellness. I mean, we’ve looked at our health care numbers for the last four years and yeah, that has a big part of it, but we need a healthy workforce,” she says.

Bloyer says Franklin County workers requested the gym memberships on a recent survey.

A YMCA health coordinator would work with them to encourage use of their gym memberships, by organizing things like group runs and providing guidance for those who request it.

“So I think having the healthy living coordinator here on site, even though that’s a YMCA employee, will really help engage our employees, at least that’s the goal,” she says.

Bloyer says in the past,she’s tried offering incentives for biometric screenings or completing a wellness report card, to no avail

A decision on the program could come as early as Thursday at the county commissioners meeting.