Hy-Vee debuts ‘Healthy You’ wellness subscription plan

Hy-Vee has launched a health and wellness subscription service and relaunched its employee discount after incidence of fraud led the company to revamp the program.

Called Hy-Vee Healthy You, the wellness plan—designed by the Midwestern food and drug retailer’s dietitians—is aimed at helping people lead healthier lifestyles by providing access to a package of personalized nutrition counseling, preventive health screenings, and other services and content that foster well-being, West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee said.

A Hy-Vee Healthy You subscription costs $99 a month and is available to adults across the grocer’s eight-state market area. Customers sign up for the plan via Hy-Vee’s website.

Those subscribing to Hy-Vee Healthy You receive access to the following:
 
• Two 30-minute appointments per month with a Hy-Vee dietitian to discuss strategies to achieve health and wellness goals.
• Unlimited viewings of “Short & Sweat” fitness videos, with more than 40 episodes available.
• On-demand “Freezer Meal” workshops.
• Wellness classes focused on trending nutrition topics, plus product recommendations and recipes to incorporate into personal routines.
• Nutrition programs such as “Healthy Habits Menus,” “Balancing Your Blood Sugar” and “Weight Management,” among others. • A portal for private chats with Hy-Vee dietitians. • Two free health screenings per year (at participating locations).
• Free registrations for wellness challenges.

Available via the grocer's website, the Hy-Vee Healthy You program is led by the company's team of dietitians. / Image courtesy of Hy-Vee
 
Hy-Vee noted that its team of registered dietitians offers in-store and virtual services, allowing customers to interact with nutrition specialists from their own homes, and some services are available in Spanish. Dietitians also offer preventive health tests for cholesterol and A1c, among other screenings, as well as store tours and product suggestions.
 
Health and wellness resources at Hy-Vee, too, include more than 190 in-store HealthMarket departments, which feature organic and specialty items such as gluten-free, dairy-free and plant-based products to support specific lifestyles. In addition, Hy-Vee’s WholeLotta Good e-commerce site offers dietitian-approved food, vitamins, supplements, fitness equipment and household products for delivery.

Health care is a linchpin of Hy-Vee’s offering, and the company has steadily added to its roster of services. Last month, the company opened its first Hy-Vee Health infusion clinic, located in West Des Moines. And in December 2021, Hy-Vee unveiled RedBox Rx, a new subsidiary that provides low-cost telehealth and online pharmacy services nationwide. Earlier, in August, the grocer introduced Hy-Vee Medicare Aisle, an agency offering Medicare coverage plans, and that July, the company appointed Dr. Daniel Fick as chief medical officer, a newly created position. In late 2020, Hy-Vee also launched its own pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), Vivid Clear Rx.

Hy-Vee’s approximately 275 in-store and freestanding pharmacies already provide a full range of pharmacy care, immunization and wellness services. In addition, Hy-Vee has more than 70 in-store retail health clinics and operates its own fleet of mobile health units.

Employee discount back up and running

Also on Wednesday, Hy-Vee confirmed in an email to Winsight Grocery Business that it has restarted its employee discount program.

Back in February, Hy-Vee said it was temporarily halting the program after identifying a “significant uptick” in “fraudulent practices and loopholes.” The company noted that a revamped program would be launched in the coming months.

“The discrepancies found were significant enough to signal much broader issues that needed to be addressed immediately,” Hy-Vee told WGB in a statement at the time.

With the program’s restart, Hy-Vee associates can again access a 10% discount on grocery and foodservice purchases. The company said other benefits it offers employees include weekly pay as a faster, more convenient way to receive a paycheck; mental health assistance; a 401k plan with a matching contribution; holiday pay for retail employees; part-time insurance with an employer contribution (based on eligibility); career development via Hy-Vee University; tuition assistance; and child care assistance.

“We made a commitment to our employees to provide them a stronger and secure benefit, and we followed through on that commitment,” a Hy-Vee spokesperson stated in an email on the employee discount program relaunch.

Hy-Vee operates more than 285 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.