Hitchiner offers on-site testing to employees

Hitchiner Manufacturing Co. Inc. and SolutionHealth, parent company of Southern New Hampshire Health in Nashua and Elliot Health System in Manchester, have formed a partnership offering Hitchiner employees rapid Covid-19 testing at the Milford-based company’s on-site health and resource center.

As the holiday season began, Hitchiner management looked for a way to confront what was then a burgeoning new surge in Covid cases, said Tim Sullivan, vice president of corporate affairs at the company, which manufactures parts for the automotive, aerospace and defense industries.

He said the firm turned to SolutionHealth and , together, they came up with a process that avoids what can even be days-long delays between needing a test and actually getting one. That kind of turnaround time can affect the entire manufacturing process, since employees must remain out of the plant until they are tested.

The new system allows the more than 600 employees at the facility to get a test almost immediately at the company’s on-site health clinic.

Sullivan said he turned to SolutionHealth because Hitchiner has had about a decade-long relationship with Southern New Hampshire Health that he called “unique.”

Our employees and their families can access primary care services and behavioral health services here at no cost on a walk-in basis,” said Sullivan, who’s also a member of the SolutionHealth board of trustees. “And now, this new service allows our employees to get tested and back to work as soon as possible in the event of personal travel or an exposure to Covid-19, as well as peace of mind that our colleagues are working in a safe environment.”