ChenMed Institutes $50 Monthly Stipend to Help Hourly Employees Pay for Gas

Gas allowance to help with rising fuel prices; paid each month for the next year

ChenMed, one of the largest providers of primary care to Medicare-eligible seniors, has announced it will provide a gas allowance of $50 per month to most of its hourly employees, and challenges other healthcare companies to do the same. The assistance to healthcare employees will be paid out every month, for a total of 12 months, to team members affected most by the rising cost of gas. This gas allowance amounts to a total of more than $1 million.

"We heard from many employees during our last town hall event who wanted to know what we could do to help with rising gas prices," said Jim Whitling, chief human resources officer at ChenMed. "We listened to their concerns and came together to find a solution that we could implement quickly, and one that would go a step further to solve for the intensely high gas prices they are experiencing right now. We're glad to be able to assist our hourly team members during this difficult time."

According to Gordon Chen, M.D., chief medical officer at ChenMed, "Any healthcare company that is in a position to chip in and meet the needs of their care teams should do so. Our care teams are instrumental in achieving positive health outcomes for our patients. If we can help by easing some of the pressure caused by today's economic environment, they'll be freed up to focus on patients and provide the type of leading patient experience we strive to achieve."

The year-long gas stipend will appear in most hourly employees' paychecks beginning this month. The gross amount is being calculated to account for taxes so that each employee is taking home approximately $50 per month after taxes. The monthly stipend comes in addition to the competitive market wage – which is well above minimum wage for all roles - that ChenMed already pays team members to help them deal with the special circumstances of the heightened cost of fuel.

Some of ChenMed's Frontline Healthcare Heroes Note Their Appreciation:

"I appreciate the Chen family because they are dedicated to us as frontline healthcare workers," said Erika Joseph, a care facilitator at Chen Senior Medical Center in Opa Locka, Fla. "It's amazing they care about helping us out with the gas that we need to come and go to work."

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