You’ve Opened a Wellness Center. Now What?

Opening a wellness center is a major milestone for any employer or union. Leading up to go-live, generating excitement about the new wellness center will be critical to setting the stage for its long-term success. But once the ribbon is cut and the doors are opened, that’s when the real work begins – building on your existing communications, creating engagement, driving utilization, lowering healthcare costs, and making an impact for your members. 

Wellness center engagement is what drives real success, turning your investment into meaningful outcomes. High engagement with your new wellness center means employees can address issues sooner with primary care, reducing long-term costs and driving greater savings and ROI. Read on for three key member engagement strategies to implement after opening an onsite or nearsite wellness center.  

Step 1: Build Awareness Before You Open — Make the Center Impossible to Miss

Gone are the days of “build it and they will come.” If employees don’t know the wellness center exists (or aren’t sure how to use it) they won’t engage. But let’s be clear: You should have a communication strategy before your doors even open.  

While your communications strategy should ramp up once the wellness center opens, employees should be aware of the wellness center months in advance. That means announcing the center and its services early – and often! Whether that’s posting sneak peek pictures of the construction site on your social media, using clear signage on campus, or sending out updates in internal channels, spread the word!  

Your communication strategy should also: 

• Answer frequently asked questions in simple, clear language  

• Highlight the center and its staff 

• Reinforce why the center exists (to care for them!) and what employees can expect 

• Include virtual care promotion, in addition to in-person services, if applicable 

This approach builds anticipation and reduces confusion, two key ingredients for early adoption.  

Step 2: Connect Care to What Matters — Turn Services into Everyday Solutions

To drive meaningful wellness center engagement, show employees how your center fits into their everyday lives. One way to do this is by marketing your wellness center services as part of seasonal health campaigns or trending health needs. Offer flu shots in the fall, recommunicate mental health resources during high-stress seasons, run biometric screenings at the start of the year to kick off healthy habits, and take advantage of Open Enrollment — when employees are already making decisions about healthcare benefits — to remind them about their access to the wellness center and services.

Another step is to host member events that fit seamlessly into the workday. Whether it’s an open house, a provider meet-and-greet, or an annual health fair, these events should create connections and break down barriers to trying new services.

Don’t stop at events! Use email campaigns, health center websites, webinars, or newsletters to keep wellness top-of-mind and give your people ongoing reasons to engage as they go about their day-to-day life. In 2024, a market research firm found that 70% of members with access to employer-provided healthcare prefer to receive information at least monthly regarding their benefit — reinforcing that cadenced communications will drive utilization of available services. One nonnegotiable is building a dedicated website just for your health center, making engagement truly convenient and allowing employees to explore services, book appointments, and find resources.

Step 3: Stay Dynamic with Data — Let Insights Drive Engagement

If it happened and you didn’t track it, did it happen at all? Don’t just launch the center and move on; track utilization and engagement. It all goes back to data and how you leverage your healthcare engagement metrics.

Start by using your data to segment your outreach to different groups in your population, such as new hires, pre-engaged members (i.e., those who have not yet used the center), caregivers, or those in need of chronic condition management. People are more likely to read and engage with your campaign’s content when the messaging is relevant to their life and healthcare journey.

Then, track what’s working using metrics like appointment bookings, portal signups, and campaign engagement. Be sure to review your analytics to inform strategic decision making, such as adding an additional provider if a type of care is highly utilized. Let engagement data guide your strategy, not the other way around.

Don’t Just Open the Doors – Invite Them In

A successful wellness center launch is about more than timelines and checklists; it’s about creating a health experience people want to be part of. When employees feel connected to their wellness center, they don’t just use it — they rely on it. That’s when your investment pays off with healthier people, lower costs, and a stronger culture of care.

If you need a partner to help with communications, campaigns, and engagement strategies that resonate, Premise’s member marketing and experience teams can support you in bringing your center to life and ensuring it delivers lasting value. As it turns out, employees want to hear from us: nearly 80% said they want to hear directly from Premise about their wellness center.

Q&A: Your Top Wellness Center Engagement Questions, Answered

Q: When should I start communicating about my new wellness center?
A: Two words: Start early. If you wait until your wellness center opens to announce its presence, you’re too late. We recommend creating a communications strategy approximately six to nine months before your center opens. That gives you enough time to generate awareness, build excitement, and set your people up for a wellness center experience that leaves them coming back for more.

Q: What internal teams should be involved in promoting my wellness center?
A: Involve HR, internal communications, department leaders, and any wellness or culture champions as you promote your wellness center. These teams can help cascade information through trusted channels and embed center utilization into everyday employee touchpoints.

Q: How do you measure ROI from employee wellness programs?
A: Measuring ROI from employee wellness programs comes from both health and business outcomes. Track preventive screenings, chronic condition management, and utilization, alongside reductions in absenteeism, healthcare claims, and overall costs.

Q: What kind of benefits messaging resonates most with employees?
A: Keep benefits messaging personal, clear, and focused. Employees want to know what their healthcare benefits can do for them — whether it’s faster access to care, lower costs, or convenience. Avoid jargon and focus on how your benefits support their real-life needs.

Q: What are best practices for promoting onsite health centers?
A: Treat your center like any other benefit — it needs ongoing communication. Promote your onsite health center during onboarding and company-wide campaigns, use multiple channels (email, posters, intranet, digital screens), host member events, and highlight convenience and affordability. Sharing real member success stories also builds trust and drives engagement.

Q: How can unions promote member health engagement?
A: Unions can promote member health engagement by framing health benefits as part of their commitment to member wellbeing. They can host info sessions at meetings, negotiate time for appointments, and share testimonials from members. Linking wellness to union values like solidarity and support makes engagement stronger.

Turn your wellness center into the heartbeat of your organization. Explore direct healthcare solutions designed to meet your people where they’re at — contact us today.