Healthy waistlines equal healthy county wallets

By Alissa Willett
Wellness Program Coordinator

Have you seen your county's insurance claims rise over the years? Have you wondered how to cut costs without cutting your employee benefits package or increasing premiums? Many counties are encouraging their employees to become active in their healthcare by getting healthier and participating in preventative care such as annual physicals and mammograms. This article provides the basic steps to a successful wellness program.

Capture the attention of senior-level management, and get its commitment: This step is critical to the success of any employee wellness program. Senior-level management must support the wellness initiatives in addition to being involved in the development and implementation process so that those leaders can influence department heads. When management understands the benefits of a wellness program for both the employees and the county, it will be more willing to give support. The positive influence of management is imperative to success.

Create an employee wellness team: A team dedicated to the wellness program establishes accountability for your employees and invites innovation. The team should consist of a wide range of employees from many different departments. Be sure to include influential and outgoing individuals. Create a timeline throughout the fiscal year for team meetings – but be careful not to overwhelm participants. One monthly meeting is plenty.

Collect data: Collect baseline information from all employees to help assess worker wellness interests. Distribute surveys with paychecks or send a letter to all employees asking for suggestions about program components. These submissions or surveys can be discussed in one of the first wellness team meetings. Contact your health insurance provider and ask for a claims review, including your top 10 diagnoses or top pharmacy costs.

Annual plan: Create an annual plan to include a mission statement and specific, measurable short- and long-term goals. Link these goals to one or more of the county's strategic plans. This will improve your chances of maintaining senior administration support throughout the process. Be sure to provide continuity in instances where members of the wellness team change, and make sure to hold the team accountable to the goals, objectives and timeline.

Find the right programs: The wellness programs you select should flow naturally from your data (questionnaire, health risk assessment, aggregate report, claims) to objectives. The programs need to address existing risk factors in your employees and should include outcomes that both upper management and employees seek in a wellness initiative.

Be sure to include individual health education that focuses on skill development and lifestyle behavior change. Provide screening programs that are linked to medical care service to ensure follow-up and appropriate treatment as necessary, and be sure to encourage adherence with incentives and positive reinforcement. Some county incentive programs include a provision that increases the employee's benefits plan premium payment if the employee chooses not to participate in the wellness program.

Create a supportive atmosphere and set an example: If your goal is to promote smoking cessation, don't take a smoke break every hour. If you are trying to implement a successful weight management program, don't provide doughnuts at your morning meeting. If you are leading an exercise program, make sure your employees see you walking during lunch. Provide workers with encouragement, opportunity and incentives. Here are some great examples:

• provide healthy food options in vending machines;
• ban smoking or tobacco products on county property; and/or
• provide flexible work schedules that allow workers to exercise or de-stress.

A workplace that shows its appreciation of a healthy lifestyle will celebrate and reward employee wellness achievements, and a management team that demonstrates healthy behavior will gain followers.

Evaluation: Evaluation involves taking a close look at your goals and determining whether you have reached your desired result. Evaluation allows you to celebrate the goals that have been attained and to stop or change ineffective employee wellness programs. Without evaluation, all of the work that has been done throughout the year could be rendered worthless. You must measure your outcomes to see how successful you have been.

To quote LuAnn Heinen, vice president of the National Business Group on Health, "for about every dollar invested behind health promotion programs, there's a savings of about $4.80. There is accumulating evidence that these wellness programs are saving employer's money."

As healthcare costs continue to rise, more employers are turning to wellness programs as a way to potentially help the bottom line. Do your county a favor and start thinking now about how to implement a successful wellness program.

Alissa Willett serves as the NCACC's wellness program coordinator for the County Health Plan. She is available to assist County Health Plan members implement wellness programs, and advise member groups that already have programs in place. Contact Alissa at (919) 719-1125 or alissa.willett@ncacc.org.