Disney to build Florida clinic

Walt Disney Co., which says it employs more people in one place than any other company in the United States, announced plans Wednesday to build a medical center for workers at its Florida theme parks.

The $6-million, 15,000-square-foot clinic is scheduled to open on Walt Disney World property in 2009, Disney said.

More than 40,000 of the resort’s 60,000 employees, along with their dependents, participate in the company’s healthcare plan. The clinic will be open on nights and weekends, offering same-day appointments, Disney said.

“Our motivation is to provide quality healthcare, convenient access and choice,” Walt Disney World President Meg Crofton said.

Becky Cherney, president of the Florida Health Care Coalition, which represents 23 of Florida’s largest employers, says businesses, squeezed between escalating healthcare costs and what it anticipates will be the tightest job market in history come 2011, are looking for ways to keep existing employees healthy.

Disney joins an increasing number of large companies that have opened on-site clinics.