Advantages of Corporate Health Promotion Programs
Advantages of Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Easy to Find
Employer’s are learning that Corporate Health Promotion Programs is an effective way to increase productivity, improve employee health, decrease healthcare costs and reduce rates of absence.
A report published in 2003 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted how important it is for employers to incorporate Corporate Health Promotion Programs as part of their corporate strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on business, including lower productivity and higher medical insurance costs.
The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on medical care in 2003 and it attributes a majority of those costs to chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and asthma. Sadly, the money allocated for preventing or controlling these conditions is negligible.
In a recent article, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin reported two thirds of cancer deaths in the U.S. could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, physical fitness, cancer testing and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Corporate Health Promotion Programs initiative serves the best interests of workers and employers alike.
Advantages of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment
Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, information analysis and applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per employee per year in Corporate Health Promotion Programs, an employer can expect an average ROI of approximately $3 for every $1
invested ($300 to $450 savings per employee per year). Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not typically found until two to three years into the Corporate Health Promotion Program.
Advantages of Wellness Progams: Tax Breaks
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has been an outspoken proponent in seeking legislative solutions for a strained healthcare system.
“As a nation, we have a ‘sick care’ system that is focused on helping employees after they get sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy employees healthy,” he says.
Harkin introduced the Healthy Lifestyle and Prevention (HeLP) America Act of 2004. One of the initiatives under Title II – Healthier Communities and Workplaces, provides tax credits to businesses that offer broad-based programs to promote employee health and grants for small business.
Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started
Implementing a Corporate Health Promotion Programs can be accomplished with simple, low-cost strategies.
• Offer incentives for participation.
• Create a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Create programs such as fitness, sleep diary, tobacco use cessation and injury prevention.
• Offer onsite chair massages or simple stretching exercises to do at the desk.
• Change snack machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
• Actively promote employee participation in all Corporate Health Promotion Programs.
A successful Corporate Health Promotion Program can boost business morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and decrease the rate of employee turnover. The case for beginning a Corporate Health Promotion Program is well worth the effort.