Caldwell County Employee Wellness Mission Statement

To establish and maintain a workplace that encourages and supports a healthy lifestyle

Why have an Employee Wellness Program?

The concept of addressing employee health needs at the workplace has formally existed since the landmark 1979 public health document, Healthy People: The Surgeon General's Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.  Since then a focus on worksite health promotion has been included in objectives for improving the overall health of the nation. Currently in Healthy People 2010 (http://www.healthypeople.gov/ seven objectives are established for worksite settings.

The workplace is an ideal setting to support healthy lifestyle behaviors.  A basic understanding of worksite health promotion recognizes that employees spend more waking hours during the week at work than in any other setting. Within the worksite, individuals experience systems for communication, education and peer support . These elements and the overall multi-level structure of the work environment influence and reinforce health behaviors.  With careful design, the workplace can influence and reinforce health promoting behaviors rather than the contrary.

Evidence of Worksite Health Promotion Cost Savings to Employers

Information in this section was compiled and provided by the Tompkins County Health Department Worksite Wellness Program in Ithaca, New York. (www.tompkins-co.org )

Worksite wellness is shown to reduce healthcare-related costs. Following are some relevant trends and  research findings:

• According to a February 2002 issue of Workforce, projected annual health care costs will rise 13-16% nationally for the course of three to four years.
• Twenty-five percent of all health care costs are associated with modifiable health risks.
• As specific health risks increase (e.g., more sedentary, more overweight: health care costs increase
• As the number of health risks increase (e.g., sedentary + overweight + unhealthy diet) health care costs increase
• Individuals who's health risk status is high have higher health care costs than individuals with lower health risk status
• As an individual's health risk becomes greater, the likelihood that they will experience a major, high cost medical event becomes greater
• As an individual's health risk status improves, their medical claims costs decline
• Worksite wellness interventions that promote physical activity have been shown to significantly lower overall medical care costs and improve worker productivity
• An aggressive wellness program that results in a 1% per year decline in risk factor prevalence can reduce the projected cost increased in medical care costs to 5.8%
• At worksites with physical activity programs, employers have reduced health care