Knowledge1
Many organizations have resources and programs that can be benficial in thinking about ways to better support employees and companies in both trying to get healthier and save costs. Here are some examples of things that your company or organization might find valuable in working to improve the overall health of your organization.
Partnership Resources
The National Business Coalition on Health worked closely with NACCHO (The National Association of County and City Health Officials), ASTHO (The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and The Alliance to put together a document that encouraged business coalitions to work in partnership with their local health departments to establish parternships that will help assure that work that needs to be done in the community can benefit from the knowledge of both public health and corporate interests. These partnerships can lead to the development of a healthier nation. Community Health Partnership Guide - NBCH and NACCHO
In July, 2008 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) hosted its third annual Leaders to . Leaders Conference. The conference was designed for leaders in the business, government, education, non-profit, and faith communities.
The conference featured speakers who talked about:
• Health in All Policies
• Engaging Americans,
• Innovations in Technology
• Engaging Leaders for a Healthier Nationand
• Health Equity
After each panel presentation, the leaders who attended the conference met to talk about what they had just heard. Each conversation built upon the last, with the final conversation focusing on their ideas for policies and strategies that could make America a healthier nation. The Georgia Health Policy Center was there to capture these comments.
This Playbook for Action – a product of the Georgia Health Policy Center funded by the CDC – is a summary of the comments from these discussions, organized to help leaders put their ideas into action.
The information packed into this playbook was gathered from discussions at the Leaders to Leaders Conference and original language was used whenever possible, but not all comments are verbatim. Similar concepts were combined to reduce repetition. The playbook is designed to serve as a handy guide for action. For more information about the conference and to view conference Webcasts, go to:. http://www.cdc.gov/partners/L2L/2008
WellSteps is a turnkey wellness program focused on one thing− helping employees adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. Created by Dr. Steven Aldana and Dr. Troy Adams, WellSteps uses the latest in behavior change research and web engineering to provide employees with a continuous stream of effective, engaging, behavior change programs. All programs are also available to employees who may not have web access.
Return on Investment (ROI) Calculator
Coalition to Advance Health Care Reform
With 50 to 70 percent of the nation’s health care costs directly associated with behavior, it is surprising that prevention and incentives for healthy behavior aren’t a much greater part of employee health plans. Safeway has experienced firsthand how these programs can make a difference.
The company has implemented a consumer-friendly plan for non-union employees with prevention and behavior as core elements. Safeway’s healthy incentives program encourages employees to live healthier lives and be more responsible health care consumers. The plan provides financial incentives through health reimbursement and flexible savings accounts. It also fully covers an array of preventive care such as physicals, cancer screenings, and well-baby care.
Healthy behavior and good health care decisions are key components. Resources such as a 24-hour care-line and education tools help employees better manage their health care. Through incentives and education, more than 70 percent of eligible employees have signed up for the program, demonstrating that solutions exist that can serve as models for helping solve the nation’s health care crisis. This innovative program has resulted in total healthcare costs being reduced 15% in the first two years compared to an average 10% increase each of the previous years. As a result, participating employees experienced a 25 – 34% reduction in their annual total healthcare costs.