Wellness plans, wellness programs and more…

Advantages of Prenatal Care and Breastfeeding

The old proverb “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is especially relevant to when applied to preventive measures taken during pregnancy, when a few additional ounces of birth weight can save a child’s life.

During pregnancy, simple precautions can help avoid catastrophic results; giving up smoking, for instance, drastically decreases the risk of miscarriage and pre-term labor.

The March of Dimes reports that when all women took adequate folic acid before conception and during pregnancy, the number of babies born with a neural tube defect could drop by as much as 70 percent.

The physical and emotional benefits of proper prenatal care to a mother and child are underscored by a strong corporation case for offering prenatal wellness benefits. Nationwide’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Michael Moore, estimates costs to care for one baby delivered prematurely could approach $500,000.

First steps in fostering a prenatal program –  

• Invite the March of Dimes to present information about prenatal health at an worker brownbag lunch or breakfast meeting.

• Hold prenatal care information courses for interested employees during lunchtime.

• Give educational materials about the effects of alcohol, drugs and smoking on an unborn child.

• Give incentives for adopting healthful lifestyles during pregnancy.

• Give prenatal programs and education as part of the organization health care package.

Advantages of Smoking Cessation Programs

Instances of respiratory illnesses, cancer and other illnesses may be lowered through use of tobacco cessation efforts. Smoking cessation programs can provide huge opportunities for improved health.

The American Cancer Society reports that tobacco use personnel cost corporations an average of $1,429 per smoker each year in increased healthcare costs over non-tobacco use personnel.

Starting a use of tobacco cessation program costs an typical of $45 per employee annually, saving corporations an typical of $1,383 annually for each employee who quits use of tobacco. Likewise, the American Cancer Society reports that smokers are absent from work 50 percent more often than nonsmokers.

They’re also 50% more likely to be hospitalized and have 15% higher disability rates. Tobacco use lowers onthe- job productivity as well. Workers who take four 10- minute smoking breaks a day work more than a month less annually than personnel who don’t take smoke breaks.

Places to begin with use of tobacco cessation programs –  

• Create a “buddy” program to provide encouragement for those who commit to stop use of tobacco.

• Offer lung capacity tests at corporation wellness fairs.

• Consider reimbursement for use of tobacco cessation tools –  nicotine gum, patches and inhalers.

• Limit smoking areas in the worksite.

• Present onsite smoking cessation sessions.

Advantages of Nutrition Programs

Nutrition directly impacts almost every aspect of physical and psychological health. A healthful diet can help protect against such conditions as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, certain cancers and depression. Obesity, which is one of the most common conditions linked to diet, affects a record number of Americans.

The American Journal of Health Promotion estimates the cost of obesity to U.S. organization to exceed $12.5 billion in health care, sick time, and life and disability insurance.

Further, one study reports that obesity raises health care costs by 36% and medication costs by 77%.  To offset the health risks of obesity and poor diet, many organizations have committed to assisting staff members ensure proper nutrition and undertake weight control programs.

Well-liked nutrition programs –  

• Provide workers with educational materials or courses on proper nutrition provided by a registered dietitian.

• Make available on-site Weight Watchers meetings or other weight control programs.

• Provide nutritious and health conscience meal options in the cafeteria and vending machines.

• Clearly post nutrition information for all cafeteria and vending machine items.

• Give low cost, healthful, take-home dinner choices for workforce and their families.

• Draw attention to healthy eating habits by providing token incentives, like pencils or ID holders, for achieving five fruits or vegetable servings a day for a week.

Nutrition programs in action

While many corporations address weight management through fitness programs, corporations are increasingly focusing on nutrition through separate programming. Recognizing the productivity increase and lowered medical expenditures that come with maintaining a healthful weight, many corporations may help pay for obesity treatments for staff.

For example, to improve the health of dangerously obese staff, drug maker Wyeth reportedly compensates for stomach-shrinking surgeries that carry price tags of up to $40,000.

A 2003 Society of Human Resource (HR) Management study shows that 24 percent of corporations offer losing weight programs. In Ohio, Honda offers an onsite, registered dietitian who provides individual or group consultations on weight control. Body fat analysis and Body Mass Index  measurements are available to employees at any time.

At Grange Insurance’s Columbus headquarters, the cafeteria chef assesses meals and provides workforce basic nutrition information, including Weight Watchers points.

Many businesses partner with the American Cancer Society to offer nutrition information through the “5-ADay” program, which provides employers free signage and educational materials about the importance of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

The program also offers a fruit and vegetable “frequency card” that gives personnel a free portion of fruit or vegetables after he or she has purchased a preset number.

Advantages of Exercise Plans

Exercise lowers weight, lowers risks of heart attack and stroke, helps to control blood pressure and diabetes, and improves mood. Studies increasingly show that exercise might also help reduce the occurrence of certain types of cancer.

Researchers at the Centers for Illness Control and Prevention (CDC) recently documented another major advantage –  exercise improves the health of the nation’s medical care expenditures.3 As reported by the CDC, physically active person incur $865 less annually in healthcare costs than inactive people .

Dr. Michael Moore, vice president and chief medical director at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, maintains that exercise is the most effective tool in health maintenance. “If you might prescribe exercise in a pill, it would be the number-one prescribed treatment in the world,” he said.

In step with Dr. Moore’s prescription, nearly one-third of United States businesses help personnel pay for fitness club memberships, according to an Associated Press report. Subsidizing fitness club memberships is just one way businesses encourage active lifestyles.

Popular fitness-forward programs –  

• Begin a business softball or volleyball league.

• Compile and distribute information about opportunities to join athletic groups in your community.

• Give partial or complete reimbursement for exercise facility memberships.

• Hold aerobics, karate, yoga or other kinds of fitness courses onsite.

• Provide extended lunch hours for personnel who commit to lunchtime fitness plans.

• Introduce an on-site fitness facility that is free, or available at a nominal cost, to workforce and their families.

• Conduct on-site health fairs that include fitness demonstrations and promote fitness activities and resources.

Health Promotion program means different things to different organizations. Effective wellness programs may be as simple as bringing bushel baskets of fresh fruit into break rooms to encourage better eating. They may be as comprehensive as building fitness facilities onsite or paying for obesity treatments.

A driving factor behind the push toward wellness spans corporations of all kinds, sizes and cultures –  that is, health care expenditures are spilling over the corporate belt buckle.

The annual cost of medical services in the USA is rising at seven times the rate of inflation.  And the rise in healthcare costs is one boom pundits expect our economy to sustain.1

This trend makes it increasingly difficult for employers to maintain current levels of insurance coverage. In 2003, health care inflation forced 65 percent of companies to increase employees’ share of healthcare costs.

Seventy-nine% of large firms said they will increase workers’ share of healthcare costs in 2004.2 But with lost benefits and increased financial burdens come lost morale and productivity.

Businesss are searching for another way. While organizations cannot control many of the supply-side elements contributing to rising health care costs-malpractice insurance rates, the nursing shortage-they can help curb demand. That’s why efforts are being redirected from disease to wellness.

The case for wellness is supported by an ever growing body of evidence demonstrating the high costs associated with controllable health risks –

• One study reports that obesity raises health care costs by 36% and medication costs by 77%.  

• Michigan officials estimate lack of exercise cost the state nearly $8.9 billion in 2002, a cost estimated to be largely borne by corporations through insurance premiums and lost productivity.

• The not-for-profit National Committee for Quality Assurance reports that the estimated average cost for postnatal care for women who did not receive prenatal care was $2,341 more than for women who had.  And the indirect costs of unhealthful behavior can be just as high.

Data shows that healthier staff members are more productive, spending more time at work and showing increased “presenteeism,” or productivity, while there. Furthermore, healthier staff members use fewer medical services.

The five leading causes of death in the U.S. – heart illness, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary illness and diabetes –  are directly linked to unhealthful life choices. Clearly, stimulating healthful habits presents an opportunity to improve employees’ well being, reduce the need for healthcare services and help control costs.

Offering worker wellness benefits – big or small – represents an intersection between corporate social responsibility and responsibility to stakeholders. Between worker health and corporate health. It’s often the right thing to do for staff members and corporations.

Research by Traveler’s Corp. shows a $3.40 return for every dollar invested in Wellness Programs. for a lot of corporations, the choice to offer employee wellness benefits is easy-one where conscience and pragmatism align.

The challenge arises in choosing  the wellness programs that will deliver the most impact based on trends in your employees’ health risks and medical claims costs.

From large companies to the corner deli, company owners welcome ways to improve productivity, reduce rates of absenteeism and cut costs. In like fashion, wellness programs can range from modest to elaborate.

In deciding where to focus a company’s limited resources, looking at costs, benefits and best practices is a good starting point. This section profiles six aspects of wellness and explores their benefits to staff members and companys.

When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of wellness, and who can counsel staff and provide primary care – all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.

AAOHN’s survey announced that more than half of workers (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a health care professional, like a consultant or an onsite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to flyers or flyers (18 percent) or HR staff (15 percent).

OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site wellness programs like screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, stress management, smoking cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, in addition to chronic disease management programs.

Plus, OHNs can help staff navigate through complicated healthcare plans and may even serve as a triage point between staff and their personal health care providers.

Workers might refrain from seeing their healthcare provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays.

In situations where workforce are under treatment for chronic illnesss like heart disease, on-site nurses can routinely monitor risk factors such as blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s often easier for an employee to ask an onsite nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it’s to schedule a follow-up visit to an individual healthcare provider.

Benefits realized by companys include enhanced employee morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and lowered time away from work.

In companies with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation evaluations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving personnel in leading stretches.

Health Promotion Programs are good for waistlines and your bottom line

In today’s hectic world, most of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. for a long time, businesss have understood the benefits associated with keeping staff well – increased productivity from lowered absenteeism and lowered disability claims.

For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many organizations realized double-digit healthcare costs last year, organizations should consider Health Promotion Programs as a way to keep personnel healthful.

But just how important are these wellness programs to employees? Precisely how often are they willing to take part in wellness programs designed to positively impact their wellness? Who do personnel trust to provide them with important information about their health?

Answers to these questions and more were lately garnered from a study  commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 staff members nationwide about their perceptions of Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants indicated these wellness programs are a good way to improve their overall health, and almost 60% consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current corporation.

Employee retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building health promotion programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented employees as well to enhancing personal health and worksite productivity.

Health Promotion wish list

Workers appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new pressures resulting from an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues, it is not surprising that 85% of survey respondents cited stress management as a priority topic for work site wellness.

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include health screening programs (84 percent), exercise/fitness programs (84 percent), health insurance education (81 percent) and disease management (DM) workshops (80 percent).

In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes due to computer work and worksite violence.

Beginning a Health Promotion Program

With such a wide range of health concerns, a key goal for companys is finding a way to proactively address the health needs of the largest number of personnel, and effectively change unhealthy behaviors, promote wellness and ward off illness and illness.

Printed materials like flyers, posters, fliers or flyers present an easy solution. But it’s imperative that you remember that different people  require different formats for learning.

A good rule of thumb –  provide information in a selection of learning formats like videos, flyers, health-related quizzes, display boards, lunch and learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you’ve overcome the first hurdle – getting individuals  to sign on to a health promotion program. While survey respondents indicated health promotion programs are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) reported that they participated in the health promotion programs at their businesses.  The other 40 percent cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a comprehensive, structured wellness program using a creative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective wellness program marketing.

By investing in an organized health promotion program headed by a qualified healthcare specialist such as an on-site nurse, businesses can give personnel the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result – personnel become savvier healthcare consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health.  And healthier personnel make for a healthier bottom line.

Health promotion programs are designed to help improve the overall health and awareness of health related issues of workers in the worksite.

While these health promotion programs are set up to help person set, work toward and maintain healthy lifestyle options, they sometimes fail.

There are five primary reasons wellness programs are unsuccessful.  The first reason is because of lack of worker interest. It’s crucial when presenting a new wellness program to workers that every effort is made to communicate the all encompassing advantages of the wellness program to the business and to the individual.

Next, wellness programs can fail because of lack of staff resources. When a wellness program is introduced but there are few resources to offer with the wellness program, it’ll be challenging for an employee to want to take benefit of it.

As part of the previous reason for failure of a health promotion program, inadequate funding also can set a health promotion program up for failure. With little money to promote a health promotion program, it can be challenging to spread the word about the benefits of a health promotion program.

An all too frequent reason that health promotion programs do not reach optimal success is because the health promotion program and its coordinators fail to engage high risk workforce. When high risk workforce have the majority of the health issues in a workplace, they should be the most targeted person for a health promotion program.

To see 100% participation is the optimal goal, but to engage those with the most severe health concerns is a huge priority.

In conclusion, the inability to enlist the support of senior management is a significant reason why health promotion programs may not be successful. Without the endorsement, support and flexibility that senior management can offer a health promotion program, it is far less likely that it will actually succeed.

Health promotion programs succeed for just as many reasons as they fail. With engaged and excited employees, obtaining wellness objectives is attainable and promising.

Company health promotion involves many aspects of the worksite and can look dramatically different based upon the shared wellness vision.

Health Promotion efforts can also be uniquely tailored to women and men, old and young or to special health needs. Health Promotion in the worksite must be a top priority regardless of gender, age or special needs.

Living healthful requires time and attention and often special wellness activities designed by a wellness committee can help reach certain health goals.

Most health promotion programs allow for each worker to dictate the objectives and activities that will make up their wellness objectives.

All too often, the company will jump in with health promotion programs or incentives.  As if sponsoring a competition, some companys will pay workforce for reaching losing weight objectives.

Other wellness ideas might include special benefits or compensation for reaching health goals. It can be challenging to gage what will motivate some workers, but knowing that most workers don’t want to pay more for healthcare is a good start.

A solid wellness program is a surefire way to lower health care costs, lost vacation time, and other miscellaneous medical testing.

With a unified wellness committee taking employees opinions into account, there should be objectives set up across the board that will help focus and monitor health care objectives for all involved employees.

Some workers may pick to focus on specific health concerns while others may want to improve their overall health through diet, exercise and stress relief techniques.

If some workforce seem adamant about admitting health concerns, it could be helpful to reaffirm confidentiality with each employee.

Other staff members might find it helpful to become a member of  group or a partner in working toward health care goals. Studies have proven that working on any kind of goal with another individual increases the percentage of completion and success.

Corporate wellness can come in any shape, form or timeframe. It’s more important to have resources in place for personnel to ensure a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Wellness programs encourage people  to begin taking steps toward health care prevention by teaching healthy decision making. These wellness programs are designed to decrease health care costs, lower rates of absenteeism, and increase productivity.

It’s believed that many illnesses in America are avoidable by proper medical screenings and small changes toward a healthier lifestyle.  The most valuable resource a organization has is its personnel.

By investing time and money into them, the company would reap the advantages of having more focused and healthier workers.

For an staff member, wellness programs can lead you towards living a healthier lifestyle and becoming a much healthier person. Depending on what a corporation offers you can learn how to reduce stress, keep your sugar levels in control, and even lose weight.

The support you will receive from your peers will help you achieveyour health objectives. From eating a healthy lunch together to forming a racquetball tournament, you will create a feeling of camaraderie between peers.

Social influences are a major part of a healthy life style. You will be getting encouragement from coworkers in addition to encouraging others around you to live healthy.

For employers, these wellness programs proved to have a considerable return on the investment put into them.

The small amount of funds it costs to start these health promotion programs and continue with them is insurmountable compared to what they save with increased productivity and reduced costs spent on sick time and insurance premiums.

Having business support is a good begin to living a healthier lifestyle. No matter what the approach, Wellness programs can help make a positive change in your job, life and the community.

Beginning these wellness programs is just one way employers around the U.S. are building a healthier and more productive workforce.