Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our team members. We have taken important steps this year to put comprehensive protective measures in place across our facilities nationwide.
As we continue to navigate the challenges of a global pandemic and provide holistic care to our team members, we are appointing Dr. Claudia Coplein as the first Chief Medical Officer in company history. Dr. Coplein will focus on expanding our culture of health, safety and wellness, in addition to helping lead our ongoing response to COVID-19.
Dr. Coplein is a physician who brings nearly three decades of healthcare experience after holding leadership roles in the insurance, global manufacturing, healthcare and technology fields. She will also oversee the launch of Marathon Health clinics that will be piloted in seven of our plant communities.
“Her unique perspective of the healthcare ecosystem will be a tremendous asset as we continue to build a culture of health and take additional steps to protect our team members and plant communities,” said Johanna Söderström, executive vice president & chief human resources officer for Tyson Foods.
Onboarding Dr. Coplein is an important next step to help us fight new waves of the virus and ensure we are staying on the cutting edge of workplace safety standards. This year, we have prioritized team member health by investing $540 million to transform our facilities with measures ranging from walk-through temperature scanners and workstation dividers to social distance monitors, as well as providing additional team member pay and benefits.
Our COVID-19 monitoring efforts mean we are testing thousands of workers per week, even those who have no symptoms. It is estimated that more than half of our U.S. workforce has been tested for the virus.
“The new monitoring program we helped Tyson create is a science-first approach that’s really on the cutting edge of how workplaces can best mitigate the risk of the virus,” said Dr. Daniel Castillo, chief medical officer for Matrix Medical Network. “You’ll likely see many others adopt a similar approach in the coming months because it’s a process that looks both at people showing symptoms as well as those who do not.”
We’ve also hired an additional 200 nurses and administrative staff this year, bringing our total to almost 600 medical professionals on staff. These medical professionals screen for symptoms, conduct testing and track cases to help and care for team members if they become ill. Long-term, they will provide support for overall team member health and wellness efforts.
For more information on what we’re doing to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and our latest health initiatives, visit https://www.tysonfoods.com/coronavirus.