PONTOTOC, Miss. — Employees of a Mississippi furniture factory are now able to get health care services near their work site.

Southern Furniture Industries recently opened a health and wellness clinic for employees and their families to control the rising costs of health care. The clinic is staffed with three registered nurses and a nurse practitioner.

Southern Furniture is made up of Southern Motion, a recliner manufacturer, and Fusion Furniture, producers of living room furniture, with about 2,200 employees at nine facilities in Pontotoc County.

The company’s human resources director Joe Vance said the clinic provides many primary and acute care services.

“The primary benefit is to get our employees participating and utilizing the clinic, as well as those who need some wellness coaching,” Vance said.

Employees clock out to visit the clinic, but are paid during that time. Employees have no co-pays or deductibles, and the health plan provides prescription drugs with no co-pay at pharmacies within the network.

Southern Furniture president and CEO Mark Weber told a local TV station that health care costs are a significant financial burden for employees, and Southern Furniture has been exploring ways to reduce those while helping employees and their families become healthier.