With concerns rising about health care costs and insurance, a number of employers are taking steps to improve workers' health by implementing wellness programs and encouraging lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and other kinds of illness.
According to a summary of recent research compiled by the American Heart Association, workplace wellness programs nationally are showing concrete results in reducing health risks for employees such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Teri Harr, health education coordinator for St. Francis Hospital & Health Services in Maryville, said she knows of at least two businesses in town, a bank and a manufacturing concern, that have instituted such programs. In addition, both St. Francis Hospital & Health Services and Northwest Missouri State University provide exercise facilities for employee use plus access to wellness-related activities and services.
The St. Francis workout room is free to all employees, while Northwest charges faculty and staff $50 a year for access to treadmills and weight equipment and $125 a year for an expanded campus recreation center membership that includes swimming and exercise classes.
That cost is significantly lower than the $305 annual fee charged by the Maryville Community Center. However, a numerous local businesses offer varying corporate discounts to employees who wish to use center facilities, Harr said.
Due to cost constraints, St. Francis ceased last year to provide employees with a number of wellness incentives, Harr said, including cash bonuses for risk-reducing activities such as working out, taking vitamins and wearing seat belts. However, the hospital still adds $60 a year to the paychecks of employees who don't smoke and expects to resume funding next year for health screenings and an employee health fair.
Northwest also does not currently reward employees financially for actively working to reduce their health risks. But the university does pay for faculty and staff flu vaccinations and provides various free assessments, screenings and seminars, such as a Blue Cross & Blue Shield nutrition class.
According to the Heart Association, heart disease costs the United States about $304 billion annually, and U.S. companies spend 25 to 30 percent of their annual medical costs on employees with significant health risks, mainly those associated with heart disease and stroke.
“Research shows that companies can save anywhere from $3 to $15 for every $1 spent on health and wellness within 12 to 18 months of implementing a workplace wellness program," said Mercedes Carnethon, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University and author of the Heart Association report.
Maryville Daily Forum
