Wellness Programs Win Employers Awards for Promoting Healthy Lifestyles
The awards are sponsored by the nonprofit National Business Group on Health’s (NBGH) Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), to confront the challenge of unhealthy behaviors and chronic illness effects on health care costs and worker productivity, the 2008 award winners offer a wide variety of programs including:
- health risk assessments,
- financial incentives for participating in fitness programs (weight management, tobacco cessation, etc.),
- health coaches,
- onsite fitness and health clinics, and
- Web-based health and fitness tools.
Platinum winners were honored for established “Healthy Weight, Healthy Lifestyles” programs with measurable success and documented outcomes. They include Aetna, which provides worksite wellness centers and resources, online wellness programs, wellness incentives, and health assessments designed to complement Aetna’s consumer-directed health care model; Baptist Health South Florida, which provides free onsite employee clinics, an innovative weight-loss portfolio, and a state-of-the-art nutrition evaluation on cafeteria receipts; and CIGNA, which educates and engages employees and their dependents in their health-related decisions, encouraging action.
Other platinum winners were:
- EDS,
- GlaxoSmithKline,
- Hannaford Brothers,
- Northeast Utilities,
- Pepsi Bottling Group,
- Pitney Bowes,
- Texas Instruments,
- Dow Chemical, and
- Union Pacific Railroad.
Gold winners were honored for creating cultural and
environmental changes that support employees who are
committed to long-term behavior changes, and Silver winners
were honored for launching programs or services to promote
living a healthier lifestyle.
Information on all award winners can be found at www.businessgrouphealth.org .