Memorial is pleased to provide employees and retirees the opportunity to participate in the Preferred Rate Program (PRP). What began in 2004 as a pilot wellness initiative is today a permanent program with over 1,200 Memorial employees and retirees participating annually. PRP is a fitness membership designed to encourage employees and retirees to lead more active lifestyles suited to their own personal interests and abilites.

PRP provides a subsidy to eligible employees and retirees to join The Works in St. John’s or alternate facilities in Corner Brook. Memorial has partnered with the YMCA, Forever Young Fitness Centre, and Pasadena Fitness to offer fitness services to Grenfell Campus employees and retirees. PRP is also available to employees and retirees of the Labrador Campus. For further information, individuals from this location should contact Kathleen Wall.

The program provides for a maximum of $10 per pay period for employees and a maximum of $21.67 per month for retirees. This is done through payroll deduction for all participants in St. John’s and Corner Brook.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the PRP, employees must be currently enrolled in the benefit and pension program. This applies to permanent and contractual employees including post docs.

Members of SIE’s and clinical physicians are not eligible to participate in this program. The program is also not available for spouses, dependants or survivors. It is possible though to pay for those memberships through payroll deduction at the price determined by The Works, but there is no subsidy from PRP.

Rates/Memberships
Rates and packages are set by The Works or alternate providers in Corner Brook. PRP enrolment application forms are available for employees at either of the customer service desks at The Works. The forms must be completed and submitted to The Works, prior to final approval in HR. Corner Brook employees can get their application forms at the HR office at Grenfell Campus, verified for eligibility there and approved for payroll on main campus.

The membership relationship is between the employee and the provider. The Wellness program simply allows for the employee portion to be deducted through payroll and the university to make a contribution to the cost. An employee is still considered active and deductions will continue until they cancel their membership, whether they are using their membership or not.