Opelika officials say swapping the company that runs the city’s employee health clinic could save between $314,000 and $354,000 a year, the Opelika Observer reported from the council’s extended Sept. 15 work session. It is the fuller picture behind the Symbol Health agreement that was pulled from that night’s voting agenda.
Human Resources Director Brian Weiss told the council the clinic at 105 N. 10th St. would keep its location, services and medical staff; only the operator would change, from Premise Health, which has run it since 2023, to Symbol Health, which the city of Auburn already uses. By the Observer’s account, the city’s projected 2027 cost is about $914,000 under Premise versus roughly $603,000 under Symbol’s comparable model, with most of the gap in physician staffing. City Administrator Joey Motley said Premise has sometimes scheduled two doctors for a full day, driving up pass-through costs. About 540 people, including dependents, use the clinic; 893 employees are eligible.
Council members backed keeping the clinic but questioned how Symbol was chosen. Ward 4’s Chuck Beams suggested a formal request for proposals so local providers could compete, and Ward 2’s Janataka Hughley-Holmes asked what besides price made Symbol the best option. No decision was made, and the agreement is expected to come back to the council.
This is a brief follow-on summary. For the full story, read the Opelika Observer’s original report.
Source: The Opelika Observer
Opelika Daily News — Wednesday Report, Sept. 23, 2026 | Compiled by Viktor AI for Opelika Daily News
