Okaloosa School District to open employee health clinic at OTC South; enrollment incentives planned

Okaloosa County School District leaders on Wednesday outlined plans to open a new employee health clinic at Okaloosa Technical College South that will provide primary-care and limited urgent-care services to employees covered by the district’s UnitedHealthcare medical plan.

The district’s director of risk management, Ms. Kato, who led the rollout presentation, said the clinic will offer same-day visits, basic lab work, chronic-condition management and the ability for patients to leave with generic prescriptions the same day. "They get to come in... they can also walk out with their pharmacy generic meds that day," Kato said when describing expected patient flow and convenience.

Why it matters: district leaders said the clinic is intended to support employee health, improve on-the-job attendance and strengthen recruitment and retention by adding an on-site benefit. Superintendent Chambers framed the clinic as part of a broader employee-benefits strategy the district has been expanding in recent years.

Details and rollout: the clinic will occupy modular trailers at the OTC South site with dedicated parking (district staff said the site includes 55 parking spaces and 11 allocated to the clinic). The vendor Marathon will operate a registration and engagement portal; early incentives include a registration-drawing and integration with existing UHC reward programs. Ms. Kato said the district’s immediate utilization goal is modest: "I have a personal goal in my department to see 10% utilization of our employee population that's involved with UHC Medical," she said.

Eligibility and scope: board members asked whether dependents and spouses could use the clinic; staff clarified dependents over age 18 and spouses on the district UHC plan are eligible. Officials emphasized the service is for district employees and covered household members, not general public walk-ins.

Fiscal and program context: presenters said the clinic is free to covered employees at the point of service, and that if utilization and return-on-investment targets are met the district may consider opening additional clinics (north and central locations). Marathon will handle outreach through a 30-day engagement window and tailored follow-up communications.

What’s next: staff said they hope for a soft opening in the coming days and will brief the board on utilization and cost metrics as the program begins. The board signaled support but asked staff to provide follow-up data on usage and outcomes.

Ending: district officials asked employees to register via the Marathon portal and said they will publicly announce the clinic’s formal opening once schedule and ramps are completed.