Better Late than Never - Getting Healthy, With A Little Help From the Boss

I wanted to make this first real installment a referral to a great article called "Getting Healthy, With A Little Help from the Boss". This was in the New York Times a few weeks ago, May 23rd to be exact and it provides a good bit of verification for what AHA has been doing with our Start! program. The link is http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/health/23patient.html - hope the Times doesn't mind. I'm giving full credit. As a reminder, our Start! progrqam is all about working with corporations to encourage their empoloyees to lead healthier lives through exercise, better nutributional habits and smart choices.

Anyway, just a few quick highlights (wtih a little bit of editorializing for a larger audience- hey, I'm honest) in case you don't get a chance to fully delve in:

• THE TREND IS GROWING: Nearly 2/3 of large employers plan to transfer more healthcare costs to employees - at the same time, 1/3 are putting a greater emphasis on health and wellness plans - -programs that encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles

• A FOCUS ON HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES MAKES SENSE: Unhealthy employees use significantly more medical services than healthy ones and cost employers more money.

• ENCOURAGE USE OF WHAT YOU'RE OFFERING: Employees that don't take advantage of what's being offered are underwriting the ones that do. Make sure you're creating opportunities to get you're staff engaged. Have your Human Resources and benefits departments available to educate employees about what's available to them. Encourage access to a health web portal that provides details on services.

• MAKE IT A DIALOGUE: This issue creates an opportunity for Senior Leadership to develop a plan with input from employees. Have discussions about develop an action plan about what will work at your worksite. Different employers and industries will allow for a range of ways to implement a program. For example a support office with lots of employees at a suburban office park is a great place to start a walking program with teams (lots of staff and lots of staff). Conversely, the local field sales office for a national manufacturing company may be better suited for a more virtual program - lots of web tracking and rare opportunities to convene (minimal staff, lots of individual action)

So those are just a few highlights. Feel free to share your thoughts on what you're doing to get your company on board.