Healthy Heart Campaign: Ten Tips to Getting Started

ALISON RANDOLPH TRANE Commercial Systems

Health & Productivity ManagerLexington, KY

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Employee wellness program benefits

•Preventable illnesses account for 70% of illness-related costs in the United States

•Fitness programs reduce employer healthcare costs by 20% to 50%

•Unhealthy individuals have decreased productivity and an increased rate of absenteeism…reducing one health risk increases a person’s productivity on the job by 9% and reduces absenteeism by 2%

•On average…for every $1 a company spends on workplace wellness programs, an average net benefit of $3.40 to $7.88 is experienced from improved productivity, and reductions in use of sick leave and health insurance premiums;

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Why Start a Work-site Wellness Program?

Non-Medical “Costs” of Unhealthy Lifestyles•High absenteeism•High workers’ compensation•High disability claims•Excessive medical leave•Significant productivity loss•Excess worker conflict•Early medical retirements

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Tangible & Intangible Benefits

•Reductions in sick leave absenteeism•Reduce use of health benefit•Reduced workers’ compensation•Reduced injury experience•Reduced presenteesim losses•Improvements in employee morale•Increased employee loyalty•Less organizational conflict•More Productive work force•Improved employee decision-making ability

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•The population is characterized as captive Typically employees are at work 5 days a week and this

large group is essentially captive due to the nature of the workday.

•There is an excellent potential for effective behavioral incentives.

Incentives, can add a significantly larger impact to a program's effect on the participation and health behavior of employees and their family members.

•The potential to influence behavior is high. Repeated exposure possibilities associated with the

worksite, along with the large number of people exposed to education, communications, and incentives. Worksite is probably the greatest of any social setting in American Society.

Why at Work?

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All Parties can Benefit

Employees: Increased knowledge about the relationship between

lifestyle and health Increased opportunity to take control of their health

and medical treatment Improved health and quality of life through reduction

of risk factors Reduced pain and suffering from illness and

accidents Reduced work absences Increased morale via management’s interest in their

health and well-being. Increased opportunity for support from co-workers

and environment

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For Employers: Increased worker morale Increased work productivity Informed and health care cost-conscious workforce Positive public relations Opportunity for cost savings:

• Reduced sick leave absenteeism • Reduced disability claims• Decreased health care utilization• Reduced premature retirement• Decreased overall health benefit costs• Fewer on the job accidents• Lower casualty insurance costs

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TEN TIPS TO GETTING STARTED

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1. Leadership

Wellness Program Leaders need to be motivated and have time to concentrate on the time constraints of their Wellness Campaigns.

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• Create a Wellness Committee• Employees

• Senior & mid-level managers

• Communication staff

• HR staff

• Safety staff

Assembling an Effective Team

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2. Gain Support from Management

Support from management is essential to building a successful wellness program. Visible senior management support is one of the most vital factors in the success of a worksite health promotion program. Senior management executives are responsible for

making sure that the organization meets its objectives. They can provide additional assistance by helping

connect your health promotion objectives to overall business outcomes, thereby positioning health promotions as a fundamental part of the organization.

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FISCALLY MODELING

Create BudgetIncentives/Program

Supplies

LifestyleHealth Conscious“Walk the Walk”

How Management can help

**Always remember to provide the same opportunities for all employees**

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Active Opposition

5%

Wellness Champion

5%

Quiet Opposition

20%Quiet

Supporter30%

Neutral40%

Fostering Wellness Leadership: A New Model

Manager’s Attitudes Toward Wellness

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3. Get in touch with your Community

Get in touch with local community resources Local Representatives:

• Health Department, American Heart Association, American Cancer, Occupational Healthcare providers, and other community outreach programs. Ask around!

National Representatives: • CDC, Diabetes Prevention

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Create a community advisory committee. A community advisory committee can help you

identify your local health risks and health trends. As well as provide you with free resources, guest speaking, and door prizes.

Meet twice a year. Once before planning for the New Year.

• Include both local and national representatives.

• Include various employees (nurses, HR, hourly, salary, etc.

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4. Identify

Health Literacy level of employeesPopulation BaseMost successful teaching style for your

employees lecture, video, group activity

Resources available Brochures, handouts, and other

educational tools

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5. Assess local health trends

At risks areas Smoking, weight, sedentary lifestyle

Statistics Health Fair biometric results Blood Pressure, Weight, etc

Health Assessments Helps to identify your worksite’s strengths and areas

in need of improvement. Can also help you determine what you are needing

to measure in your evaluation.

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Collecting Data

Moves program from activity-centered to results oriented

Facilitates specificity of company health concerns

Provides baseline and comparison data

Increases likelihood employees will accept wellness

Drive Results

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Estimated Societal Cost of Selected Health Problems: 2004

Health Problem/Condition

Annual Cost* Per Employee Annual Cost

Original Source

Heart Disease $357.70 $2,715 National Heart Lung & Blood Institute, NIH

Alcohol Abuse $292.1 $2,217 Nation Institute of Alcoholism & Alcohol abuse

Back Pain $58.80 $522 National Safety Council

Lung Disease $99.10 $752 National Heart Lung & Blood Institute

Cancer $110.80 $841 American Cancer Society

Work Injuries $1022.50 $7,836 National Safety Council* In billions of dollars per year

2006 Wellness Councils of America

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6. Begin Planning

Once you identify and assess your population you will identify your large at-risk population.

Begin planning your classes concentrating on the Mental, Physical and Emotional aspects of health.

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Every wellness program should have a “core” but should still

address multiple concentrations“Healthy Heart”

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Specific goals and measurable objectives (SMART) Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time sensitive

Articulate roles and responsibilities Itemized budget Communication strategies Vision/mission statement

Example: By January 2009, 10% of employees will be attending the Healthy heart program.

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Vision Statement

Provides direction and principles to keep program connected and focused

Vision statements should be no more than 1 or 2 sentences

Descriptive of the program and should fit with the company’s core business

Program purpose clearly understood by simply reading the vision statement

To promote employee accountability to be smart, be healthy, be responsible and be safe

International Truck & Engine Corp.

Sample Vision

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#7 Marketing and Publicity of the Healthy Heart Sessions

You must use many means of communication to get the word out about your program

•Posters surrounding the worksite•All employee emails•Word of mouth•Newsletters• Intercom announcements

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Tips For Using Incentives

• Make incentives crystal clear• Make rewards highly valued • Give a choice of rewards• Deliver rewards quickly• Rewards should be consistent with wellness

messages• Publicize, remind and communicate

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#8 Be Prepared

Plan as far in advance as possible guest speakers PowerPoint's Videos Handouts Snacks Prizes/Incentives

Make sure you have enough for all attendees

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#9 Be Flexible

•Be Prepared but also be willing to change your subject if needed:For example if a health trend or concern needs to be addressed

•Staph infections, workplace violence, popular diet fad, or any other media induced concern

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Targets: Participation Satisfaction Improvements in knowledge,

attitude and behavior Improvement in biometric

measures Physical environment and

company culture Productivity

#10 Evaluation

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Consider This…

81% of companies surveyed offered at least one health promotion activity27% conduct needs assessments17% of worksites offering health promotion activities have a formal written set of goals and objectives12% of those surveyed conduct formal evaluations

Wellness Councils of America - 2005

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Document program outcomes

Opportunity to identify best practice

Verify improvement recommendations

Secure future fundingLeverage to link wellness

programs to health benefits plan

Consistently Evaluating Outcomes

“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” L. Peters

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1st year: concentrate on health awareness For many employees this will be the

first time to hear this information. Concentrate on key points and keep it simple.

2nd year: concentrate on health behavior go more in-depth with the subjects you

covered the year before. Evaluate for individual lifestyle and behavior change.

What to expect..

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The Challenge of Behavior Change

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Some ideas to get you started.

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INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR CHANGE

· Encourage Workstation Stretching Techniques· Organize a Healthy Potluck, Including a Recipe Exchange· Provide Self-Care Health Guides to All Employees· Target Holidays and Summer Months for Fitness/Nutrition· Facilitate Team-Building Activities for Work Groups· Put Together a “Walking Club” for Employees

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ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT & POLICIES

· Organize Activities Around Health Theme Months· Subsidize Fitness/Health Club Memberships· Send Periodic Health Tips Via E-mail, Flyers,Newsletters, Payroll Inserts, etc.· Create Departmental Competitions for Miles Walked,Weight Lost, Hours of Exercise, etc.· Acknowledge Participants in Flyers and/or Newsletters· Organize Company Olympics to Encourage Exerciseand Team-Building

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COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

· Organize a Health-Related Speaker Series or Lunch-Hour Discussion Groups· Ask a Local Restaurant to Conduct a Low fat Cooking Class· Sponsor a Community Event (e.g. 5K, 10K) and EncourageParticipation of Employees and Their Families· Have a Contest for Employees’ Children to Create HealthPromotional Posters for Work· Sponsor School/Parks/Recreation Programs for Health· Get Healthy Local Vendors to Sponsor YourCompany Contests

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PHYSICAL WORK ENVIRONMENT

· Change Vending Machine Snacks to Lowfat Items· Place Announcements on Stairwells to Encourage Walking· Identify CPR/First Aid Trained Employees by Displaying a“Red Cross” at Their Workstations· Display Signs to Encourage Safe Lifting, Seat Belt Use,Use of Personal Protective Equipment, etc.· Create and Maintain a Health Bulletin Board· Designate a Quiet Room for Relaxation/Meditation

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Next Steps

Questions for consideration

What elements of a Wellness Program have you identified as improvement opportunities?

Would your employer benefit from Wellness Program

Identify one key element you will complete when returning to your worksite

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Define Success

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References And Useful Resources

American Journal of Health Promotion http://www.healthpromotionjournal.com/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Healthy Living, http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyLiving/

Healthy People 2010 http:www.healthypeople.gov

Healthy Workforce 2010: An Essential Health Promotion Sourcebook for Employers, Large and Small. 2001, Partnership for Prevention: Washington, DC.

O'Donnell, M., Health Promotion in the Workplace. 3rd ed. 2001, Albany, NYPrevention Makes Common Cents.2003, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, DCThe Wellness Councils of America http:www.welcoa.org