2008 Winners

Honoring Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs With Demonstrated Savings from Improving Health Behavior

The LightenUP Study - Dow Chemical Company

In 2006, The Dow Chemical Company introduced a series of environmental interventions at the workplace aimed at reducing obesity rates among its workers. Interventions include offering healthy food choices in vending machines, cafeterias and company-sponsored meetings; directing employees to walking paths; saturating the workplace with targeted messaging promoting healthy eating and physical activity; introducing recognition programs for employees, program champions and leaders; establishing site-level health improvement goals; and training leaders on the value of a health strategy for the company. After one year, the company reported favorable results related to employees’ weight, blood pressure, and tobacco use, as well as early signs of improvements in employee absenteeism rates. The LightenUp Program is well-developed, comprehensive, and evidence-based. Rigorous evaluation methods, using validated instruments, are being used as part of a multi-year study funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. This study represents a formal test of an ecological approach to reducing risk factors among employees. This project also led to the development of two new measurement instruments: the Environmental Assessment Tool (EAT) and the Leading by Example (LBE) survey.

ECA Platinum Wellness Program - Energy Corporation of America

ECA’s Platinum Wellness Program has achieved very high participation rates (as high as 95%) in its 20-year history. For a company of this size (under 500 employees), ECA has developed an impressive, comprehensive, well-integrated, and strategically sound program. The program is guided by theory and evidence-based practices. Although a small employer, the company has hired two full time staff to run its health promotion program. Nurse planning sessions with each employee participant occur yearly and spouses are eligible to participate. ECA has met or exceeded six of eight “Healthy People 2010” objectives. The company has achieved a 26% tobacco quit rate. The high risk population has decreased by 1.4% per year over the last five years. Medical costs for the company have remained flat (at about $5,000 per employee per year) over the past six years. The company is constantly striving to continuously improve its wellness program.

Wellness for Life - International Business Machines

IBM’s Wellness for Life is a comprehensive health promotion program encompassing low-risk health maintenance, risk reduction for those at high risk, consumerism, and health plan integration. It focuses on changing the company’s culture and providing employees with social supports to improve their health through online communities. The company uses a web-based strategy to reach a disbursed workforce. Benefit plan discounts and rebates are tied to active engagement in programs and risk reduction. Participation in programs is associated with lower health care cost increases for participants. There is also evidence of risk reduction associated. The program has achieved high participation rates (90,000 out of 120,000 eligible employees) and 84% of the employees completed at least one HRA over the past three years. The company has achieved smoking quit rates 22-26%, and physical activity rates have also increased.

Lincoln Industries Wellness -- Go! Platinum - Lincoln Industries

Lincoln Industries’ Wellness – go! Platinum Program has been in place since 1977. A medium-sized business with about 1,000 employees, Lincoln Industries has achieved very high participation rates in all its programs. It provides quarterly physicals to employees, a year-long physical activity challenge, health risk assessments, tobacco cessation programs, health education seminars, and wellness reimbursements. The company offers a “platinum award” to workers who achieve specific health goals. Winners of the award receive an all-expense paid climb to a 14,000 foot mountain in Colorado. The company has three full time staff hired to run the wellness program. In terms of results, Lincoln Industries has seen its tobacco use rates drop from 42% to 19% (from 2004 to 2007). It has also achieved dramatic reductions in blood pressure risks. A financial analysis found that the company experienced a 9.7% drop in healthcare costs from 2006 to 2007 along with significant decreases in lifestyle associated claims (from 34% of total to 17%). Senior management shows its commitment to employee health improvement by integrating wellness principles into company culture, business strategy, company policies, and belief statements. There is a clear attempt to integrate wellness, safety, and disease management programs.

Wellness is central to the company’s business plan. Employee wellness is included in leadership training, managers receive quarterly updates about their group’s participation in programs, and wage increases include a component based on performance against a wellness goal. This company exemplifies a “healthy company” culture.

Go for the Gold Wellness Program - Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University’s Go for the Gold Program is a comprehensive and integrated health management program with incentives that drive engagement and participation. It enjoys leadership support and adequate funding. The program has achieved high participation rates among employees (80%) and spouses (38%). Program participation is tied to benefit plan design. High-risk participants receive one-on-one coaching. The University has instituted several policies (e.g., campus-wide smoking ban, seat belt requirements) that support healthy lifestyles. It offers healthy food options in cafeterias and vending machines, and supports open farmer’s markets. It provides walking trails for employees and permits them to use on-site fitness centers for free. A five year study by Vanderbilt University followed a cohort group of 4,512 workers for the period of 2003-2007. The study documented significant health improvements for its employees and annual cost savings estimated as $214.87 per employee.

Honorable Mentions Awarded To:

Public Private Worksite Health Promotion Partnership - New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Wachovia Healthy Connections - Wachovia Corporation

Well at Dell - Dell, Inc.