Healthiest Employers of Rhode Island 2023
500-1,499 Employees 1. Rhode Island Medical Imaging Inc.
CEO (or equivalent): Dr. John Pezzullo, President
Number of employees: 500
MAMMOGRAPHER AND X-RAY TECHNICIAN Hannah Williams has a very distinct idea of a fun Sunday morning.
That’s the day she and a co-worker head to Orangetheory Fitness for a workout. Williams recently won a one-year membership sponsored by Rhode Island Medical Imaging Inc., her employer, as part of the company’s employee wellness program.
“It’s really helped me, mentally and physically,” Williams said, adding that she’s seen the program grow immensely in the six years she’s been employed with the Warwick-based diagnostic imaging organization.
Sponsored Orangetheory memberships is just one standout benefit offered to employees last year. RIMI also worked with the fitness studio franchise to host classes.
Sarah Beaulieu, RIMI’s human resources manager, says the wellness program is extremely important to the company’s leadership and board of directors.
Celebrating its 80th anniversary in 2023, RIMI employed 584 total staff and 224 medical professionals in 2022, ranking second in employment amongst similar businesses in the state at the time. Imaging services include preventative and diagnostic screenings for breast and lung cancer. Interventional services, such as dialysis access and vertebroplasty, which treats spinal compression fractures, are provided at affiliated hospitals.
There are 16 imaging sites, including four diagnostic breast imaging centers, and 11 hospital partnerships working to provide patients with “world-class care.”
Beaulieu has been with the company for three years. In her role, she’s been deeply involved in helping to grow RIMI’s employee wellness program over the last few years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within the last year, RIMI hasn’t had an increase in a “chronic condition” category in its health insurance claims. Program initiatives address all aspects of health.
As part of its push to help employees’ mental health, the company partners with local police departments and agencies to bring comfort dogs to visit employees across RIMI. Accompanied by their handlers, the comfort dogs visit employees at RIMI sites and are trained to recognize people who may be dealing with stress brought on by a work situation.
“They put a smile on everyone’s face,” Beaulieu said. “We definitely get positive feedback that the employees love when the dogs come to visit.”
RIMI’s wellness committee, which includes C-suite team members, meets regularly to talk about potential wellness programs. Employee feedback is deeply considered in programmatic decisions.
This process also fosters team member participation.
‘I look forward to my Sunday mornings. We talk about [our workout] and other co-workers want to engage, too.’
HANNAH WILLIAMS, mammographer and X-ray technician
Last year, RIMI produced a healthy recipes cookbook comprised exclusively of employee submissions. Cook-offs followed the cookbook’s release.
Other team-building wellness programs have included quarterly challenges, including bingo. RIMI also offers an employee assistance program app that employees, including Tara Grant, an electronic medical records coordinator in RIMI’s information technology department, have used for activities such as meditation and mindfulness exercises.
Grant wrote in this year’s RIMI Healthiest Employers program application that she used the app with her middle-school-aged daughter to help work on stress management. Grant also wrote that last year’s walking challenge was immensely helpful to her personal health.
“[It] jump-started me into walking at least 10,000 steps daily,” she said. “And through our insurance, I have been able to use nutrition counseling to lose [more than] 50 pounds.”
Grant also enjoys how her hybrid work schedule has helped foster her and her family’s health and well-being.
“Our hybrid schedule has allowed me to participate in more activities with my family,” Grant wrote. “I am also able to work out and eat healthier at home, as well as have time to meal prep for my days in the office.”
Beaulieu said there’s still more to come for employee wellness this year. The committee, she said, has some ideas up its sleeves for fall programming. “We try to leave it as a surprise for employees. We definitely have some fun and exciting things coming up this year,” Beaulieu said.
