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Case Study

Escambia County School District: Engaging a workforce in their health

Learn how Escambia County School District drove meaningful workforce health engagement across a sprawling, diverse employee population—and saved $35M.
Read the case study

Engaging a large, geographically dispersed workforce in their health is one of the most persistent challenges facing school districts and public sector employers. When employees range from classroom teachers to bus drivers to administrators, a one-size-fits-all approach to healthcare falls short. The real question isn't whether to offer a health benefit—it's how to make it meaningful enough that people actually use it.

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ABOUT ECSD

A school district committed to better health for all

Who they are

Escambia County School District (ECSD) is one of Florida's larger public school systems, comprising over 50 schools in and around Pensacola. With over 7,500 employees, ECSD serves a workforce as diverse in role as it is in geography.

A proactive investment in workforce health

In 2013, ECSD invested in an onsite health center to combat rising healthcare costs. The center offers primary care, health coaching, and DOT physicals to employees and their families.

THE CHALLENGE

Reaching a dispersed workforce across hundreds of miles

Opening a health center is one thing. Getting a large, diverse workforce to use it is another. ECSD needed to drive meaningful engagement across dozens of locations, varied roles, and multiple generations.

  • Workforce spread across 876 square miles and 50+ school locations

  • Employees ranging from millennials to baby boomers

  • No single outreach channel capable of reaching the full population

Without a strategy to meet employees where they were, physically and generationally, the health center risked being underutilized. ECSD needed a partner who understood public sector workforce complexity and could build an engagement model that worked across the district.

THE MARATHON HEALTH SOLUTION

A tailored engagement strategy built for a diverse workforce

Meeting employees where they are—digitally and in person

Marathon Health matched communication to the audience—emails for millennials, mailed welcome packets for baby boomers. Breakroom and bulletin board displays kept every employee informed.

Incentive programs designed to motivate participation

Adjusted incentives made engaging with the health center a meaningful choice. By aligning incentive structures with ECSD's goals, Marathon Health helped turn employee awareness into action—and action into lasting health habits.

Expanding services to meet evolving workforce needs

As the partnership matured, so did the health center's capabilities. Adding DOT physicals in 2017 extended care to employees in transportation roles—ensuring every segment of the workforce could benefit from onsite access.

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AVERAGE MATHON
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reduction in healthcare spend trending rate since the health center opened

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cumulative ROI earned by ECSD since the health center opened

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of employees with high health risks made progress toward normal range

$ 0 M

in total net savings yielded by ECSD since the health center opened

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of employees were satisfied or very satisfied with their Marathon Health experience

  • Our healthcare spend trending rate is down 12% since opening the health center...I am attributing a good part of that to what we’re doing with engagement.

    KEVIN WINDHAM
    Risk Management Director, Escambia County School District
GET THE CASE STUDY

See how engagement drives real healthcare savings

The full case study details how ECSD partnered with Marathon Health to build an engagement strategy that reached every corner of their workforce. Download it to explore the communications approach, incentive model, and outcomes behind the results.
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