oee rosiai, rAJLrfi 31

Worksite Wellness Programs Gain In Popularity With Area Business; Proven Reduction In Absenteeism Is The Claim
The first worksite wellness programs were offered in central New York in 1986, by Community General Hospital. Among the institution's corporate clientele are said to be the Syracuse Newspapers, Welch-Allyn and B.C. Sulzle. Now, the Health Services Maintenance Corporation [HSMC), owner of Prepaid Health Plan (PHP) and manager of Independent Prepaid Health Plan (IPHP), has begun to* offer worksite wellness programs and services, as well, to area employers. Melanie Rich of HSMC said that what began on "kind of a pilot basis.. .has just (been) formalized." Rich said that HSMC performed its first pilot program at the Carrier Corporation in Augu8tl989. "We ran health risk assessments and screenings on 500 employees," she said. A similar program was conducted at J.C. Penney's. With these assessments, lifestyle habits can be monitored through questionaires. Cholesterol and blood pressure can be tested, and body See Wellness, PAGE 26*

wellness
^continued from PAGE 1

fat can be determined. HSMC also offers smoking cessation education, stress management, nutrition and weight control, mobile mammography units and diabetes education. Rich said that "most employers are real interested" about the worksite wellness programs, even if they cannot pinpoint their goals. "Most don't know what they want to do; we're helping them figure out what they need with health risk assessments. "Some companies are very interested and active; some bring in outside groups. The large companies, we find, have more budgeted for health, but the smaller companies are interested. If
II mill UK ill I I M I I I ll|l|>rl M I , i i i i i ( ; . - n i l - I l l , il -,. i . .

in i l i - m o n n l i i i l r . l 'I'll, Kooilwill in MI. i i - i l i l i l r Km to make a difference." ploycca see it mi a I UK plun She added that employees that employers care ul>ni appreciate being able to re- their health."

health promotion specialist, said, "The workplace is an ideal setting for behavioral change. By offering on-site programs, advantages such as convenience and peer support play important roles in changing health habits. Motivation and awareness are key components in promoting a wellness program to employees." Helen Barrett, director of health education at Community General, said employers have responded to their wellness programs "very favorably," but acknowledged that they have problems in deciding how to present such a program. "I think that sometimes they're unclear exactly how they should provide this." Barrett said that among employees, the response is "very positive. Employee in-

ceive health care in the workplace "They're really excited, especially when employers are picking up the tab. In the evaluations we offer them, employees say they're impressed that their employers have offered this to them." Rich noted that "for a lot of people," such a service "allieviates the barriers. If they have kids, they can't schedule an appointment as easily. There's also the excitment ... it's easier to motivate people as a group in an office that you can individually." Virginia Tomic, HSMC

Community General has sponsored highly popular health fairs at the Syracuse Newspapers every fall for the past several years, where booths provide health information, employees and their families (often as many as 450-500 people) are served catered meals, and where workers sign up for screening and analyses. Barrett notes that a Community General nurse has regularly visited the Newspaper offices for three years to perform blood pressure screenings. "They're so deSee Wellness, PAGE 32>

fc-continued from PAGE 26 pendent on her being there every month," Barrett notes, that workers come to the nurse and initiate discussion rather than the other way around. Sandra Alexander, benefits manager at the Syracuse Newspapers, coordinates the i programs with Community General. "We have succeded i in bring health care into the

Wellness

workplace," she said. "The employees are very receptiva There's a sense of camraderie when people get involved. And a little competition... They're enjoying it. We want them to have fun." Alexander noted that such programs benefited Newspaper workers financially as well as physically. "Last year, our employees had a five percent decrease in medical premiums. It's interesting, isn't it?." *