Spartanburg launches Wellville Exchange

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The Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mary Black Foundation have launched Wellville Exchange, a pilot program born out of Spartanburg’s Way to Wellville in collaboration with the Georgia Health Policy Center, to give small employers the ability to offer wellness services.

“From the earliest days, we knew we wanted to engage the business community in Spartanburg’s Way to Wellville,” said Molly Talbot Metz, incoming CEO of the Mary Black Foundation, in a news release. “Based on the feedback and ideas of the small business community, we have been able to develop a pilot that allows Spartanburg’s small businesses access to wellbeing services that will help their employees maintain and improve optimal health.”

The Wellville Exchange comes from two years of research by the Way to Wellville’s Small Employer Collaborative, in partnership with research and seed funding from the Georgia Health Policy Center, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the city of Spartanburg, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and OneSpartanburg, the release said.

Launching a pilot program will allow the team to complete a feasibility study and vet the program's long-term viability. During this period, Wellville Exchange’s core services will be developed, and a business model will be built based on the interest, willingness and ability to participate of Spartanburg’s small business community.

Potential core services available to employees of participating small businesses include access to a Wellbeing Academy, virtual health services and a narrow network of shared services, the release said.

“The Wellville Exchange strives to give Spartanburg’s small businesses a competitive edge in attracting and retaining talent,” said Allen Smith, president and CEO of the Spartanburg Chamber, in the release. “Employers would have the option to invest in their employees by providing benefits primarily offered by large corporations. This program allows Spartanburg and its businesses to show that we truly care about the wellbeing of our employees. An initiative like the Wellville Exchange is unheard of in other communities.”