T - Corporate Wellness Magazine

Transcription

Editor’s Letter
Corporate Wellness Agenda and
Participant List Announced
T
Jonathan Edelheit
his year we have worked extremely hard to totally redesign this
years Corporate Wellness Conference and Employer Healthcare
Congress. We stripped everything down to the shell, and gave
it a complete upgrade from speakers and agenda topics, to new
networking software, and excitingly, to a new city. We are
going to Chicago, in a true convention center, and everyone is ecstatic for the
conference to move to Chicagoland and to be centrally located in the United
States.
Editor-In-Chief
The results have been amazing for us. The industry has seen the changes and
spoken. Our attendance is up 93% compared to last year around this same
time, and it keeps growing day by day. www.corporatewellnessconference.com/2011-participants.
html Part of that, I believe, is our investment in bringing in some of the brightest and best keynotes
possible. This is an area where we focused heavily and tried to get innovative keynotes that are well
known experts. We searched for those who not only inspire, but provide key insight we all need to
stay motivated and to succeed in our business, passions and personal lives.
Editorial Staff
Editor
Jonathan Edelheit
[email protected]
Assistant Editor
Sarah Hunt
[email protected]
All of our KeyNote speakers are outstanding, but I believe my favorite would have to be John Casey,
Director of International Benefits for Google with his topic, Creating the Healthiest Employee in the
World. Google is at the cutting edge of innovation and everything they do is usually inspiring and
successful. I can’t wait to see how they are changing the curve and making their employees healthier,
more productive and lowering their costs.
I am very passionate about the power of social media. It is a very important topic for me to bring
to the forefront for our attendees. Most of us know social media but don’t really understand it or
know how to use it effectively. Social Media is being used for everything today; even enrolling and
educating employees for benefits programs.
I diligently searched and was able to get Mitch Joel, who Mashable.com (the top rated social media
website out there), rated Mitch as one of the top social media experts in the world and his book, Six
Pixels of Separation was rated one of the top 5 social media books to read. As most companies in
US healthcare and benefits initiate their plans in social media, this will be an eye opening and critical
session
Our outside the box keynote speaker this year is Bill Rancic, Season 1 Winner of Donald Trump’s The
Apprentice. Bill competed on national television and is a true entrepreneur. We have brought Bill in
specifically to discuss the challenges we are facing in the healthcare and insurance industry today and
he will be teaching us the importance of becoming “adaptable.” Adaptability is critical for all of us to
survive, and I couldn’t imagine a more important topic for us to be addressing, especially in the face
of all the changes and obstacles our industries are facing with PPACA and the economy.
This year we are also adding in Global Benefits and have some of the largest multinational employers
and insurance companies presenting on the growing trend of international benefits and providing case
studies to attendees.
We have put a lot of effort into our Employer VIP program and even upgraded it to include Agents
and Third Party Administrators. There have been so many requests for VIP Passes, sometimes it can
be difficult to manage! Attendees will see a major difference in the number of employers, agents and
TPA’s coming this year that qualified for our complementary passes and other benefits.
I really want to thank everyone who has made our magazines and the conference so successful. More
importantly, you have helped us accomplish, in just three years, what many of our competitors who
have been around for 20 years, have been unable to surpass. With your support, you have made us the
the biggest benefits conference in the country for employers, agents, TPA’s and insurers.
Jonathan Edelheit
President
Employer Healthcare Congress
www.employerhealthcarecongress.com
Advertising Sales
[email protected]
Grapghic Designer
Tercy U. Toussaint
For any questions regarding ad�
vertising, permissions/ reprints,
or other general inquiries, please
contact:
Assistant Editor
Sarah Hunt
Phone
561.204.3676
Fax
866.536.7041
E-mail
[email protected]
Copyright © 2011Corporate Wellness
Magazine. All rights reserved.
Corporate Wellness Magazine is
published monthly by Global Health
Insurance Publications. Material
in this publication may not be
reproduced in any way without
express permission from Corporate
Wellness Magazine. Requests for
permission may be directed to info@
CorporateWellnessMagazine.com.
Corporate Wellness Magazine is in
no way responsible for the content of
our advertisers or authors.
That
10 Benefits
Really Matter:
Impact of the
14 The
Affordable Care Act
What Females Want
06
Health Promotion versus
Disease Management
19
on Corporate Wellness
Programs – Good, Bad or
Unknown?
Live Well and Be Well
stress hormone cortisol
23 Does
cause weight gain, depression and
30
33
Using Remote Health Management Systems
to Manage Chronic Conditions
49
Would You Pay Your Credit
Card Bill Before Reviewing It?
39
Comprehensive Wellness Management
Changes Behaviors
52
Key Issues In Workplace Mental
Health
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
46
Office Health Through Cold
and Flu Season
Follow
Us On:
Addressing the health crisis by
implementing a workplace wellness
program
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H
ave you ever wanted more time? More time to get
things done and more time for you to live life? Just
having an extra hour in the day or an extra day in the
week would make life a bit easier wouldn’t it?
Time management is one of the biggest challenges we face as
businesses and people. There are only so many hours in the
day and only so many days in the week. In that given time
frame, we must accomplish a certain number of tasks in order
to be efficient and proficient at what we do. If we’re not good
at what we do, even if we do it fast, it can take too long to get
the necessary result or outcome right. If we’re slow at what
we do, we might get the necessary result or outcome right but
again it can take too long. Both instances are a problem.
So what do we do? We schedule our work and our life in order
to dedicate the time needed or the time allotted to accomplish
all the things that have to get done and that need to get done.
It seems reasonable to most people to operate in this fashion.
However, as most people will attest, we always seem to run
out of time to get things done and we never seem to have
enough time to ourselves—which is what we really want!
Is there a better solution? Yes, there is. It’s called freedom
management. Instead of allowing time for all those necessary
tasks and hoping that there is some time left over for us at
the end, which there never is, it’s best to schedule that time
for ourselves first and use the rest of the time to get things
done. The leverage comes from using your freedom time to
recharge, be happy and get focused so your productivity time
is at optimum. As they say, all work and no play make you a
dull person.
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CorporateWellnessMagazine.com
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September 2011
And it works. If you give yourself four hours to
get something done, you’ll use all four hours.
If you give yourself three hours to do the same
thing, you’ll get it done in three. A given task will
always fill the time allotted and you will always
operate at a level of efficiency and proficiency
given the nature of a situation. Because you can
control the nature of most situations, you can
also control your tasks. So from now on, instead
of cramming your free time into your schedule,
schedule your free time first and then cram in the
work. You’ll be surprised at the results when you
actually accomplish more in less time.
There is a valuable lesson in freedom
management versus time management when it
comes to health, especially in the workplace.
Most people and businesses operate with a focus
on their desired product, service and revenue at
the expense of their health, wellness or lifestyle.
Then, if and when a health issue arises, which it
most certainly will, we dedicate resources to deal
with the problem so we can get back to work.
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As we know statistically and experientially, this
costs businesses time and money. It also creates
tension in the workplace and affects the corporate
lifestyle of the company.
Fortunately, there is a better way. Just like our
example of trying to squeeze in more personal
time with all the work we have to do, most people
are living life trying to squeeze in all the healthy
things they should do amongst all the work they
have to get done. This is a challenge at best.
Interestingly, if time is scheduled and built into
our day through habits and defined initiatives, we
can invest in our health while we work so that
not only do we gain the health benefits but our
work quality and quantity also improves. Again,
this is supported by the current research and the
case studies regarding wellness in the workplace.
Once a health problem exists, it takes much more
time and money to heal, recover and treat that
problem then it would have to prevent it in the
first place. Just like customer service, if there are
procedures and systems in place to deliver
September 2011
the best experience for buyers and people who use About the Author
our products, we can avoid the scenario where a
customer encounters poor service or a bad product,
Dr. David Koivuranta operates
which then takes considerable resources and
a health and wellness company,
expenses to counteract. After all, a happy customer
Time Health Management. It
is a repeat customer willing to spend money!
is founded on over a decade’s
worth of experience and
Similarly, a healthy employee is a performing
knowledge derived from treating
employee. The benefits, however, go beyond the employees suffering from ergonomic stress, strain
workplace and affect the employee’s entire life. and disease. It’s time to manage your corporate
When the company plays such a pivotal and vital health, visit www.timehealthmanagement.com and
role in the health and welfare of its team, the rewards contact us for a free business wellness evaluation.
are significant. The business is more productive with Learn why our workplace wellness solutions
lower costs on health claims while the employees make sense. For more information email drdave@
are happier and more in tune with life and work.
timehealthmanagement.com or call 416-697-7918.
Ask us about our 5 minute onsite ergonomic and
This is what happens when there is a focus on stress reducing system, perfect for every business.
health promotion versus disease management. Yes,
diseases, illnesses and injuries will happen and
you will want to have a plan and the resources or
benefits to deal with them when they do. However,
this should not be the entire management plan
or the selling feature to employees. It’s good to
know you’re going to be looked after when and if
something does happen to your health, but it’s even
better to know that something is being proactively
done to ensure that likelihood is being minimized.
That’s the kind of company we all want to work for
and with.
In the end, disease management is nothing more than
symptom treatment, crisis triage and a final product
of things gone wrong. It’s a fight to make up for
what could have been and what should have been
and what will one day be true health promotion in
the workplace. By adopting physical, chemical and
emotional strategies for helping employees with
nutrition, exercise, ergonomics, stress reduction,
environmental adaptation and rest periods, the
workplace will no longer be a place where we get
drained, rather a place that energizes and revitalizes
our lives for the better.
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September 2011
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August 2011
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A
shift is taking place in workplaces across
America. Women are repositioning their
careers in and in the process, are looking
for something different. Do you offer
the benefits that they want?
A logical first step is to understand which benefits
women, and many times men, want. To answer
this question, I conducted research, a qualitative
phenomenological study, in 2009. From this
independent research, five major themes emerged.
You can provide your employees with many of
these benefits, often at little or no cost.
Concern for Family Responsibilities
Nearly a third of the women interviewed cited
concern for family members as catalysts for job
change. They wanted options that would allow
them to tend to spouses, children, and parents.
Approximately 25 percent of those expressing
concern for family members would have stayed
with a previous employer if more options had
been available to them. Consider offering
your employees time to address family needs.
Workplace options that promote a balanced,
healthy family life will also help you retain
employees.
Desire for Increased Flexibility and
Control
Nearly half of all women who left their positions
expressed a desire for increased flexibility and
more control over their work including their
work schedule. Many employees are interested
in compressed work weeks, flexible hours, and
telecommuting options. Recently I spoke to a male
employee in his late 20’s. He was working late
into the evening and I asked him if he was tired
and wanted to go home. “No way!” he responded.
“I get into my zone late into the day and my
productivity spikes. I’d rather work tonight and
be able to have Thursday morning off
CorporateWellnessMagazine.com | | September
August 2011
2011
1111 CorporateWellnessMagazine.com
to play golf. It’s good for me and it’s good for
[the company].”
In addition to flexible work schedules, giving
employees control over work assignments can
also improve your ability to retain employees.
If how the work completed is less important
than the end product, consider giving your
employees more freedom to determine the
process they want to use to complete a task or
work assignment.
Interest in Another Career
Twenty-five percent of the women interviewed
cited interest in another career as reason for
their exodus. Many of these women were
ready for a major shift in their type of work so
it is possible that employers would have had
difficulties keeping these employees regardless
of what they would have done. Still, this makes
a case for allowing employees to move from
one area to another or one job assignment to
another. A move from production to marketing
might be what keeps one employee engaged
while an opportunity to learn a new skill might
be enough for you to retain another. Crosstraining also gives an organization more depth
so everyone benefits.
The Business Environment
Dissatisfaction with the environment in their
places of business caused at least 25 percent
of the women interviewed to eventually leave
their positions. Some of the women interviewed
explained that desire for increased security
played into their thought process regarding
an exodus. Employees want to feel secure.
Although employers may be limited in what
Lack of Support
they can offer employees in the way of security,
Nearly one quarter of the women interviewed increased communication and an overall sense
cited lack of support as a determining factor of stability can assist employers with this
when they decided to leave their positions. endeavor.
Often supervisory support was listed as a
concern although in some cases support at home So what is the bottom line? Forty-five percent of
was listed as a concern. Providing employees those interviewed indicated there was something
with a supportive work environment where the their employer could have done to make them
employee feels valued can be the difference stay. Forty-five percent – nearly half! What are
between a content employee and an employee you doing to make your employees want to
stay?
who is not engaged.
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September 2011
About the Author
Dr. Carrie Stringham has
been teaching undergraduate
and graduate courses in
human resources for more
than fifteen years. Carrie
is a consultant and trainer
in the areas of human resources, healthcare
administration, and organizational leadership
and can be reached at www.stringhamresources.
com.
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August 2011
O
ne of the major thrusts of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA) is an increased focus on
prevention and wellness, as opposed to a
historical federal focus on responding to disease and
injury as they become apparent and reach epidemic
proportions. Although there are many unknowns,
both in the application of the PPACA, and the effect
of prevention and wellness programs on individuals
making lifestyle choices, wellness programs are seen
as one of the few constructs available that might
modify behavior and result in a healthier population
overall.
programs.
The Affordable Care Act certainly acknowledges the
existence and benefits of employer-based wellness
programs. From 2011 to 2015 the Act provides $200
million in grant funds to assist small employers with
the implementation of wellness programs. “Small
employers” are defined as those with fewer than 100
employees working 25 or more hours per week. The
grants are eligible only for those employers who
have not already embarked upon a wellness program,
and other criteria apply.
In addition to these grants, the PPACA provides
for technical assistance to employers seeking to
Only time will tell whether the intersection of the implement and manage a wellness program and will
PPACA and the concept of employer-sponsored be conducting surveys and studies regarding wellness
wellness programs net a discernible benefit or program structures and results throughout the nation.
interrupts current momentum in the growth of such
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September 2011
Another provision in the Act increases the health
insurance premium discounts an employer can
extend to employees who participate in wellness
programs. Prior to the passage of the Act, such
discounts were limited to 20 percent of the cost.
Under the Act, the discount can now be up to 30
percent, and may even reach 50 percent under
some circumstances.
Providing discounts to
participants can be seen as a punitive measure
taken against non-participants, and employers
are required to adhere to guidelines that assure
a nondiscriminatory implementation of such
incentives.
An acknowledgement of the importance of
workplace wellness programs is implicit in their
inclusion within the healthcare law. However,
there are some provisions, which may not be
interpreted as being quite so favorable.
The PPACA establishes prevention and public
health outreaches that would appear to compete
with employer-based programs. These outreaches
are community-based and will be funded more
aggressively than the workplace-related programs,
starting at $500 million in 2010 and increasing to
$2 billion in 2015. Employers will continue to
fund wellness programs predominantly on their
own, whether directly, or through their health care
insurance premiums. These community-based
programs may compete directly with employers
and reduce participation in the employer-sponsored
program. For the employees and their families,
this is of little consequence, and more choice
is generally a good thing for the consumer. The
employees will choose the program that suits them
the best, and will use it as they see fit. But for the
employer, reduced participation in their workplace
program could have a negative effect on their
insurance pricing, even though the employees
themselves are becoming healthier.
Some
insurance carriers require a certain percentage
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of employees participate in a wellness program
in order to allow a discount in the company’s
healthcare insurance premium. If discounts are
available to individual employees, and employee
utilizing a program outside the employer may not
be eligible. The employees that choose to use a
community-based program may also be creating
hardship for other employees by not participating
in the employer-sponsored plan.
Employers may also find themselves thwarted
in their attempts to provide wellness programs
through their insurers. The PPACA mandates
minimum percentages of premium dollars to be
spent on clinical or quality services. A wellness
program will likely not qualify as either, although
the law does not specifically define those services
at this time. Many insurers will need to extract
their wellness programs from their suite of free
value-added services and provide them only at a
cost, or will terminate them altogether in order to
comply with these mandates. Employers will then
need to pay the insurance company separately for
wellness program services or will need to contract
with wellness program vendors. Either way, they
will be incurring additional costs.
If an employer is faced with this decision regarding
funding of the workplace wellness program at a
juncture where the program has not yet proven
its value in reduced absenteeism and increased
productivity, it is quite possible the employer will
not continue to provide such a program. And,
unfortunately, since the employer was already
engaged in a wellness program offering, it would
be unable to qualify for one of the Act’s grants to
offset these increased costs so that it could continue
with its program.
The Affordable Care Act also provides for a
nationwide study of wellness programs, which
could result in statistically meaningful information
September 2011
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August 2011
regarding outcomes, productivity, absenteeism,
improvement in health characteristics and other
metrics. Unfortunately, several of the metrics to
be monitored by the administrators of the national
study to produce this valuable information are
beyond the scope of what is currently considered
proper and respectful of employees’ privacy
regarding healthcare information in the work place.
Section 4303 of Title IV of the Act indicates the
following metrics will be assessed:
Employees’ health behaviors, health outcomes and
health care expenditures; and Changes in the health
status of employees, absenteeism, productivity, rate
of workplace injury, and medical costs incurred by
employees.
In order to avoid even the appearance of
impropriety, and to avoid any implication of
discriminatory behavior, many employers
studiously avoid knowledge of several of the above
metrics. Employees’ fear of being taken to task
regarding such issues as health outcomes, health
care expenditures and health-related absenteeism is
a concern that works against employee acceptance
of a wellness program in the first place. If the
employer has a self-insured plan, human resources
personnel take care to avoid employee-specific cost
analysis to ensure employee privacy. If the plan is
a commercial one, the human resources personnel
tend to have less of an opportunity to come into
contact with employee-specific information in
the first place. Even with workers compensation
claims, employee medical information is closely
guarded, and the employer receives only those
details needed to determine the duties to which the
employee may be returned, and the probable time
frame in which that return may occur.
Employees gain a significant level of comfort with
wellness programs when they understand that their
participation is completely voluntary, that they
won’t be judged for good or ill based on whether
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they choose to participate, and no one is watching
over them to ensure that their health improves due
to participation.
This federal study will compromise the painstakingly
developed reinforcement of employees’ privacy in
these regards and could well have a chilling effect
on their desire to participate in their employer’s
program, even if they have been participating
previously. The downside to this is obvious and
multi-faceted. The employees will lose the benefit
of their participation in a wellness program,
regardless of how marginal that benefit may have
been. The employer will lose the benefit of that
employee’s participation in the program. And the
study will be skewed by the employees who prefer
less intrusion into their healthcare specifics being
under-represented in the demographic studied.
This does not bode well for a statistically sound
result from the study. Concerns about the erosion
of employees’ privacy were voiced frequently
prior to the passage of the Act. Reconciling those
concerns with the required metrics and analysis
seems a nearly impossible task.
By contrast, the community-based programs
sponsored by the Prevent and Public Health Fund
do not specify metrics to be gathered from subject
individuals. The pertinent subsection of Title
IV, Section 4003 indicates that the Community
Preventive Services Task Force has the duty to
assess, every five years, “…the health effects of
interventions, including health impact assessment
and population health modeling…”
Between the kinder, gentler evaluation of
community-based programs, and the extraordinary
disparity in funding, it’s not hard to imagine that
workplace wellness programs will quickly be
eclipsed by their community-based counterparts.
For those employers that participate in PPACAestablished state insurance exchanges, wellness
programs may net no benefit related to insurance
costs. The state insurance exchanges are allowed to
September 2011
About the Author
Greg Justice, MA owner of
AYC Health & Fitness, Kansas
City’s Original Personal Training
Center and founder of Corporate
Boot Camp System has been
actively involved in the fitness
industry since the early ‘80s. His growing network of
Trainers spans 9 countries, 45 states, and 6 Canadian
Provinces, helping fill the gap in corporate wellness
with on-site workplace exercise programs. Speaker,
author, and coach, Greg can be reached at aycfit@
gmail.com.
utilize only very limited criteria in establishing their
premium rates. Participation in wellness programs
does not appear to be an authorized criterion at this
time. The criteria could be subject to change, as
the exchanges are not yet active, and many rules,
regulations, procedures and details have yet to be
formulated and promulgated.
Overall, the impact of the PPACA upon the
implementation and continued use of workplace
wellness programs appears to be a mixed bag. The
Act is generally supportive of wellness programs,
encouraging and supporting them in the workplace,
the community, and for persons insured by individual
plans. But the Act also brings unique pressures
to bear upon wellness programs in the workplace
by requiring intrusive metrics for federal analysis
and creating and significantly funding competing
programs.
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September 2011
T
he buzzword among employers, especially
this year, is wellness. Many employers
have put an employee plan in place that
includes a wellness element. However,
the wellness topic covers many areas and can be
somewhat nebulous by definition depending upon
who is answering the question, “What is wellness?”
For the most part, some employers think that
when they throw together a gym membership, a
coaching session, a smoking cessation plan, and an
interactive website, they have a wellness plan. But
wellness goes much farther as a concept and can
be very broad-based depending on your opinion on
what wellness means.
definition of wellness. There is, however, a
set of common characteristics seen in most
thoughtful attempts at a definition of wellness.
You generally see a reference to a “state of wellbeing,” which is vague, to say the least, according
to DefinitionofWellness.com. Also frequently seen
is a “state of acceptance or satisfaction with your
present condition.” The truth is wellness is a tough
word to define. That said, Charles B. Corbin of
Arizona State University gives this definition of
wellness: “Wellness is a multidimensional state of
being describing the existence of positive health in
an individual as exemplified by quality of life and
a sense of well-being.”
Interestingly, there is no universally accepted
But more than just providing weight loss or a
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September 2011
feel good attitude, wellness plans help improve
the overall health of employers and businesses.
For every dollar spent on wellness programs by
employers, medical costs were reduced by about
$3.27 and absenteeism costs reduced about $2.73,
according to a report on U.S. workplace diseaseprevention and wellness programs by Health
Affairs, a health policy research journal. Studies
also have shown wellness programs can provide
a return on investment of between $3 and $6 for
every dollar spent as reported by the Society for
Human Resource Management. That’s a great
ROI for anyone or any company. Besides helping
lower health care costs, the real pot of gold has to
do with a healthy work force being a much more
productive work force, according to Health Care
Service Corporation.
As health insurance costs continue to rise, more
businesses are getting motivated to offer new
wellness programs or improve existing ones, and
the latest research shows such programs can pay off
in dollars, as well as pounds and inches. However,
many seemingly good wellness programs fail to
achieve their potential due to poor implementation.
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Employers need to follow a plan on how to set
up wellness programs. Somebody with good
project management skills needs to shepherd the
implementation, but it can’t fall on one person’s
shoulders, according to The Portland Business
Journal. A wellness program requires the support
of executives, as measured by their participation in
the program. You need strong CEO support and role
modeling, you need strong middle-management
leadership and you need strong leadership from the
person who coordinates the wellness program. You
need a passionate advocate of wellness and healthy
living in every work unit.
But just offering a wellness plan to workers is only
part of the equation. You must get them engaged
in the process. When it comes to encouraging
people to get healthy, it seems a free water bottle
or a T-shirt doesn’t cut it anymore — cold, hard
cash is where it’s at. Industry reports indicate that
a rising number of employers are offering wellness
programs and financial incentives and things
like lower premiums to, for example, employees
who don’t smoke, according to Health America
Insurance.
September 2011
While it might seem like a no-brainer that people
should make their health a priority without being
bribed to do it, the fact is many do not. There are
those people who really do care about themselves
and it wouldn’t matter if we were providing
incentives or not, but there’s also a very large
percent of the population who may not be aware of
the importance of health and wellness. Money talks.
People pay attention to cash. The ideal would be if
everyone would engage in the health and wellness
effort, the nation could potentially slow the growth
of medical cost trends.
Additionally, free karate and yoga classes, biggestloser weight reduction contests with prizes, and
incentives to encourage employees to go to the
doctor are among creative initiatives that have
emerged in wellness programs at small and large
employers. These programs are expanding and
increasingly making use of technology, according
to the Chicago Sun-Times.
In addition to lower health care benefit costs,
employers that provide wellness programs
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experience greater employee productivity, higher
morale, lower turnover and a stronger organizational
culture. Researchers have found the most successful
wellness programs have six essentials: engaged
leadership at multiple levels, alignment with the
company’s identity, a broad and highly relevant
design, broad accessibility, internal and external
partnerships and effective communications.
Employers launching a wellness program need to
commit to it for the long haul and realize that financial
returns will take time to achieve, according to the
Mid-America Coalition on Health Care. Wellness
is not something that you can go in and do it for
a year and see a return on investment. The typical
ROI computation that works for whether or not you
invest in a new plant will not immediately work for
wellness. Businesses launching wellness programs
should start by collecting data about their employees
through individual health-risk assessments. They
should then use the data to classify the workforce’s
biggest risks, such as chronic diseases, accidents,
inactivity, poor diet, smoking and other lifestyle
choices. The data should then be used to establish
goals and make workplace changes that remove
| September 2011
barriers to healthy choices. The outcome should
be measured and evaluated to see if the program is
working.
Here are some tips about providing wellness
options that work, according to the Portland
Business Journal:
• Start at the top. Nobody will take the wellness
program seriously if it doesn’t have strong
support from the CEO and others in leadership
positions.
There are plenty of vendors that offer wellness plans
or services, but choosing the right strategic partner
makes a huge difference in the success rate of your
plan. Companies like Trotter Wellness, Careington,
Weight Watchers and American Specialty Health
are some of the key players in this market. There
are more, but working with these corporations who
have a proven track record over a long time and are
very good at what they provide makes sense when
you are interested in sourcing the “best in class” to
offer your employees.
• Get employees involved. Even a well-designed
wellness program won’t work if employees
don’t participate. Offer incentives that make a
difference.
Making the investment in a wellness plan can be
expensive, but making poor choices in vendors or
in program implementation can be even more costly
if you pick the wrong company to help advise and
implement your program. Creating an alliance with
a nationwide provider that knows the business can
make all the difference. Realizing that too late is a
mistake you cannot afford.
• Take measurements. Track and report results.
About the Author
• Don’t expect miracles. A good wellness
program will cut health care costs over time, but
it typically takes 18 months or longer before the
savings associated with the program outweigh
the cost.
Mark Roberts’ professional
sales background includes 30
years of sales and marketing
in the tax, insurance and
investment markets. Mark
is a licensed life, health and
accident insurance agent in all 50 states and DC
for insurance products and discount health plans.
He serves as Manager of National Accounts at
Careington International Corporation
( www.careington.com ).
• Assess your needs. Perform employee health
risk assessments and diagnostic screenings.
Wellness plans have definitely proven to be worth the
investment, but overnight results are not what you
will reap. The culture in the employee community
within your business must be changed, and that takes
a long time. For the most part, adults don’t like to
change, especially as they grow older. But providing
options for workers to participate in with the right
approach definitely makes a long-term impact, not
only on the personal health of individual employees,
but also on the corporate health of your company.
Profitability is a major concern, and business owners
and senior executives realize that in order to stay in
business, a company must make more money than
it loses. Having healthy employees is a really great
way to make that part of the equation.
22
|
Additionally, Mark works with clients needing
insured products ( www.careingtonbenefitsolutions.
com ) in the US and discount dental and optical
schemes in the UK (www.healthydiscounts.co.uk ).
Mark has been writing a health care blog for the past
three years, (www.yourbesthealthcare.blogspot.com
), which is a topical weblog about various health
care issues. He also regularly contributes articles to
magazines for both medical and dental topics both
in the US and the UK. You can reach Mark at
[email protected].
September 2011
A
s you probably know by now, cortisol is
a fight or flight hormone that is released
every time you’re stressed by anything. Part
of its purpose is to replenish your energy
after exerting yourself through fighting or fleeing
your perceived threat. Primitive humans certainly
needed this energy boost after physically battling a
wild animal, for example. But generally, we modern
humans respond mentally to stress, like worrying, not
physically fighting or fleeing. And herein lies much
of our health problems.
Unlike our ancestors whose stressors had a more
definitive beginning and ending (hunting and
23
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defending) today we have more continuous stress
(traffic, work deadlines, kids’ schedules). We release
cortisol into our systems far too often throughout the
typical day with little break from our stress.
Whether or not your stressor requires you to physically
respond, cortisol is released, saturating your blood
and tissues. For many people cortisol courses through
their bodies near constantly, never shutting down
and dangerously affecting their bodies. Chronically
elevated cortisol makes you vulnerable to developing
higher blood pressure, diabetes, lowered immunity,
and weight gain to name just a few disorders.
September 2011
Cortisol and weight gain ties debated
We Americans, always looking for the quick fix for
whatever ails us, search endlessly for weight-loss
products. My advice--don’t hold your breath, at
least not yet.
Here’s the theory of the connection between weight
gain and the cortisol released into your system from
stress.
Stress hormones, including adrenaline, which
gives you instant energy, along with corticotrophin
releasing hormone (CRH) and cortisol, provide
the biochemical energy you need to fight or flee
from your stressors. High levels of adrenaline and
CRH decrease appetite at first and for a short time.
Cortisol helps replenish your body after the stress
has passed, and lasts longer in your system.
The problem, according to Sean Talbot, Ph.D.,
associate professor with the University of Utah’s
Department of Nutrition and the author of the
“Cortisol Connection,” is that, “…too often today’s
response to stress is to sit and stew in our frustration
and anger, without expending any of the calories
that we would if we were physically fighting our
way out of a wild animal hunt (as our ancestors
did).”
move the sugar from our blood to our muscles
requires insulin, the hormone that opens the gates
to the cells and lets the sugar in,” says Perfetti,
who directs the outpatient diabetes program. And
high levels of sugar and insulin set the stage for the
body to store fat. “So people who are under stress,
metabolically speaking, will gain weight for that
very reason.” (Can this at least in part explain the
obesity epidemic in America?)
But according to Mayo Clinic dietitian, Jennifer
Nelson, R. D., and physician Dr. Berge Kenneth,
there is no reliable evidence that cortisol blockers
such as CortiSlim, CortiStress, and Cortistat lead
to weight loss. The manufacturers of these products
tell you that stress creates high levels of cortisol
in your system causing you to accumulate excess
fat. Ms. Nelson says what they don’t tell you is
this occurs only when your body produces large
amounts of cortisol due to side effects of medication
or an underlying medical condition like Cushing’s
syndrome. There’s no evidence that the amount of
cortisol produced by a healthy person under stress
is enough to cause weight gain.
Another unresolved research question is whether
elevated cortisol causes fat to deposit in your
abdominal area. Some research shows that
abdominal fat causes specific chemical changes
that can lead to lower metabolism and cravings for
Your neuroendocrine system doesn’t know that sweets, possibly leading to even more weight gain.
you’re not physically fighting or fleeing, so it still
responds to stress with the hormonal signal to Dr. Caroline Cederquist, board certified family
replenish nutritional stores making you feel hungry. physician and bariatric physician (the medical
This can lead to weight gain and a tendency to store specialty of weight management), the majority
of whose patients have abdominal weight issues,
“visceral fat” around the midsection.
believes our high stress lifestyles create cortisolTo complicate matters, the “fuel” your muscles induced symptoms, including the abdominal weight
need during the fight or flight response is sugar, a gain. This can also lead to higher cholesterol and
reason you crave carbohydrates when stressed, says blood sugar levels and elevated blood pressure, all
endocrinologist Ricardo Perfetti, M.D., Ph.D., of factors for heart disease especially when combine
Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “To with less exercise.
24
|
September 2011
I normally don’t include research I cannot credit but Officially, however, the research on the role of
the following research is so compelling I’ll make an cortisol in obesity is still speculative. Blaming your
weight gain on stress neglects the fact that you may
exception.
have developed a habit of eating in response to
There was a fascinating PBS special featuring Dr. stress, which is a learned habit, encouraged by brain
Robert Sapolsky of Stanford University, a renowned chemistry.
stress response researcher, and a female researcher
whose name I Googled and could not find. (The Limit lifestyle weight gain by dealing with
recording was lost when we switched from TIVO your stress
to DVR) The female researcher, like Sapolsky,
researches the effects of the stress response by Given that the research jury is still out on whether
studying wild primates in Africa. Her research high levels of cortisol actually cause weight gain, the
focuses on status as a stress factor. She showed the minimum that seems to be true is that since the role
lowest status apes, the most stressed in other words, of cortisol during stress is to provide your body with
with rolls of fat on their bellies. These are wild energy, it can cause an increase in appetite. In other
animals! Her research tips the scales for me in favor words, stress might lead you to eat more.
of stress causing abdominal weight gain.
25
|
September 2011
“During the first couple of days following a stressful
event, cortisol is giving you a cue to eat highcarbohydrate foods,” says Dr. Perfetti. “Once you
comply, you quickly learn a behavioral response that
you can feel almost destined to repeat anytime you
feel stressed.”
increase insulin levels increasing stress hormones
and making you feel hungrier. Cereals like
oatmeal or multi-grain flakes, along with fruits,
help keep your insulin levels in check, which help
control blood sugar levels and ultimately, hunger,
according to Pamela Peek, MD, MPH, author of
“Fight Fat after Forty.”
Whether your eating is driven by stress hormones,
by habits or a combination of both, research shows • Avoid caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol because
that there are ways to interrupt the cycle and stop the
these can cause stress and cortisol levels to
weight gain.
increase, and blood sugar to drop, which spurs
hunger.
Notice how the advice is the same as it is for living a
healthier lifestyle.
• Take vitamins regularly since stress depletes the
B complex and Vitamin C, and possibly calcium
• Solve your stressors or cope more effectively
and magnesium. These nutrients help balance
with them.
the effects of cortisol and may even play a role
in burning fat so take a good multi-vitamin
• Exercise is always one of the best ways to burn
supplement.
calories and to produce a variety of biochemicals
that counter the negative effects of stress If you’re experiencing chronic stress don’t go on a
hormones. Exercise helps control your insulin strict diet, though. Canadian researchers found that
and sugar levels with as little as 20 minutes a severely limiting calorie intake can kick off a series
day three to five days a week. Be careful, though, of biochemical events that ultimately increase stress
because too much exercise can raise your cortisol and can make you feel hungrier.
levels and increase your stress.
Here’s the bottom line about weight loss. It always
• Eat a balanced diet and never skip a meal. Eat has been the bottom line, which suggests it always
six small vs. three large meals a day and include will be --- until a miracle weight loss treatment is
foods from all the food groups. This helps to invented. There are two ways to lose weight, eat
balance your blood sugar levels inhibiting insulin fewer (and better) calories and burn more of those
production and reducing cortisol levels, all calories by moving your body more. It’s truly that
helping to control appetite and weight.
simple.
• Get enough sleep because when you don’t,
cortisol levels rise, increasing your hunger.
Cortisol related to depression, fatigue
• Relaxation, much like exercise, produces
brain chemicals that counter the effects of
stress, whether you do yoga, deep breathing, or
meditation, multiple times a week do whatever
reaches that sea of calm that’s within you.
Does elevated cortisol also contribute to depression
and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)?
To answer this let’s consider the theories of Drs.
George Chrousos, Chief of the Pediatric and
Reproductive Endocrinology Branch at the National
• Snack on whole-grain, high-fiber foods vs. the Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
typical American habit of high sugar and simple- and Philip Gold, of the Clinical Neuroendocrinology
carbohydrates like cookies, crackers, chips, which Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health.
26
|
September 2011
They explain the hormonal system known as the • Glandular systems producing reproductive,
growth, and thyroid hormones.
hypothalamus - pituitary – adrenal (HPA) axis,
a complex series of events that takes place when
you’re stressed. It affects a variety of stress-related According to Dr. Chrousos, the HPA axis varies person
to person and is probably influenced by heredity.
conditions including depression and CFS.
In most people it functions well, appropriately
The HPA axis is a feedback loop where the brain responding to a threat and switching off when the
signals the release of hormones needed for the fight threat is over. Others however under- or over-react.
or flight response, affecting your
With major stressors in early childhood, the HPA
• Autonomic nervous system (controls heart rate, axis feedback loop becomes stronger with each new
stressful experience. By adulthood this can produce
digestion, etc.);
an extremely sensitive stress circuit where the person
• Brain’s limbic system (controls motivation in overreacts hormonally to comparatively minor
mood), the amygdala (generates fear in response situations.
to danger), and the hippocampus (involved in
memory formation, in mood and motivation); It’s largely accepted that chronic stress and its released
also brain regions that control body temperature, cortisol are related to depression. Cortisol is produced
in excess in depressed people and has a toxic effect
suppress appetite, and control pain;
on the hippocampus. Chrousos finds that people with
27
|
September 2011
About the Author
Jackie Ferguson has designed
and presented keynotes and
workshops on stress management,
diversity, workplace harassment,
motivation, and communication
skills.
Her mission is to inspire you to live a conscious
life of personal responsibility in your relations
with yourself and others, which she weaves into
every presentation to help you “wake up” to your
responsibility in making your desired changes.
Literally
hundreds-of-thousands
of
people
throughout North America, the United Kingdom,
depression can turn on the fight or flight response, Australia and points in between have benefitted
but can’t turn it off again, producing constant from her programs.
anxiety and overreaction to stimulation. This can
be followed by “learned helplessness,” where they Jackie is also a Stress & Wellness Coach helping
give up trying to improve. Some neuroscientists people achieve more success with less stress.
believe that the major changes in serotonin and
other neurotransmitters seen in depression are not Order her 2010 published book, Let Your Body Win:
the cause of depression, but secondary to changes in Stress Management Plain & Simple and request
the stress response.
her weekly, published, emailed column, Stress for
Chronic fatigue syndrome is also generally accepted Success, published in a Gannett Newspaper, at
as a stress-related disease and a dysfunction of the www.LetYourBodyWin.com.
HPA axis but with lower levels of cortisol; even
though people with difficulty sleeping had higher You can now follow Jackie on Twitter @
cortisol levels in the evening. Practicing regular JacquelynFergus
deep relaxation helps lower the cortisol to enhance
sleep.
Dr. Chrousos concludes that chronic stress shouldn’t
be taken lightly or accepted as a fact of life.
“Persistent, unremitting stress leads to a variety of
serious health problems. Anyone who suffers from
chronic stress needs take steps to alleviate it … by
learning to relax and calm down.”
To minimize your own mounting physical problems
consider that stress management can be as important
as any medication you take. Employers who want
to control health-care and workers’ comp costs
provide support for your employees to manage their
stress better; the sooner the better for your mental
and physical health.
28
|
September 2011
29
|
August 2011
O
ver last twenty years, we
have seen the emergence
of a major trend in
North
America:
employee health and wellness
are suffering. Less than
one third of American
employees (28 percent)
say their overall
health is “excellent”,
a significant decline
of 6 percent since
2002 (Families and Work
Institute). In Canada and
the United States, there
have been alarming increases
of hypertension, diabetes and obesity over
the last number of years. Between 1994 and
2005, the rates of arterial hypertension among
Canadians increased by 77 percent, diabetes
by 45 percent and obesity by
1
8
percent, affecting people of every
age. Even more concerning:
hypertension
rates
among
Canadians aged 35 to 49 rose 127
percent during the same period,
and almost doubled among
young people over the last 15
years (CBC News). The long-term
effects of these issues will be dire;
for the first time in decades, life
expectancy has decreased in the
United States, according to a study
published in December 2010.
Healthcare costs increasing
For employers, all of these factors
should be very worrisome,
30
|
September 2011
especially since research shows that
employee health directly impacts
work behaviour, attendance,
on-the-job
performance
and
of
course,
healthcare costs. In
fact, 76 percent
of
American
businesses report
healthcare
cost
increases
of as much as 10
percent year-over-year.
According to the 2010
Healthcare Cost Survey by the
firm Towers Watson, employers are
now paying 28 percent more for health
care than they did just five years ago,
and employees are paying 40 percent
more. This growth in health costs is far
outpacing wage growth, but it doesn’t
have to be
this way.
Retaining talent
A serious challenge
faced by businesses
today is a high
turnover of qualified,
motivated and loyal
workers.
Many
employers are failing
to support and sustain
their
best
people
and create trusting
relationships with their
best employees. The
evidence: according
to a report by TLNT, 74 percent of workers are
passive job
seekers ready to consider a move. In today’s
competitive markets, employers must find new ways
to attract and retain the best and brightest talent. One
way to do this is to offer employees an environment
that promotes healthy and active lifestyles.
Root of the problem
companies such as SAS, Wegmans Food Markets
and Google have understood the profound
connection between employee health, productivity
and insurance costs. According to a report by the
SHRM Foundation, “more than 75 percent of highperforming companies regularly measure health
and wellness as a viable component of their overall
risk management strategy”. A survey conducted by
Towers Watson and the National Business Group on
Health “found that 83 percent of companies have
already revamped or expect to revamp their health
care strategy within the next two years, up from
59 percent in 2009. This year, more employers (66
percent) plan to offer incentives for employees to
complete a health risk appraisal, up from 61 percent
in 2009. Also, 56 percent of employers now offer
health coaches and 26 percent now offer on-site
health centers.”
Many of our health problems in Canada and the
United States are due to the aging population, but
this is far from being the only factor. “Seventy-five
percent of healthcare costs result from unhealthy
lifestyles,” writes Barbara Schaefer, senior vicepresident, human resources for Union Pacific
Corporation, in her article, “Long Train Running”.
In health matters, factors such as smoking, physical
inactivity and poor eating habits are responsible for
the vast majority of health risks and their associated And it’s working! The Public Health Agency of
Canada reported that by implementing a physical
costs.
activity program, Canada Life in Toronto improved
There is good news for employers however: these productivity and reduced turnover and insurance
leading causes of illness are largely preventable. costs while achieving a return on investment
A 2007 study of more than 200,000 employees, (ROI) of $6.85 per corporate dollar invested. A
conducted by the University of Michigan, determined study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease
that 61 percent of employees have 2 or less health Control found that “comprehensive worksite health
risks, 28 percent have a moderate risk (3 to 4 risk programs focused on lifestyle behaviour change have
factors) and that only 11 percent have an elevated been shown to yield a $3 to $6 ROI for each dollar
risk (5 or more health risk factors). The study invested.” According to a report by the Medisys
determined that a realistic expectation for reducing Health Group, out of the Top 100 Employers in
health risk factors would have employers saving Canada, 77 have a structured wellness program in
$354 per employee, per year, for an organization of place and those who track the results generally find
1973 employees. These are savings that can add up that their expectations are met or exceeded.
quickly.
The managers and HR directors of these Top 100
High performance companies: health companies report that the benefits of workplace
wellness programs include decreases in insurance
and wellness leaders
costs, absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover
Businesses today are left with no choice but to rates; increases in productivity and recruitment; and
create a healthy workplace culture if they want to improved creativity and overall motivation of the
perform to their best potential. High performance workforce.
31
|
September 2011
How to build an efficient wellness GP2S also emphasizes the importance of effective
communication. As stated in the Harvard Business
program
The most important questions still need to be
answered: what makes a wellness program efficient
and how do organizations implement them?
To be efficient, a wellness program must be well
structured, meaning the program is tied to the
overall business objectives and the implementation
process must include leaders from every division
of the business. Moreover, it must have an
organizing committee that includes members at
all levels, from top management to entry-level
employees. To truly be successful, staff members
must adhere to the program and ultimately claim
personal ownership of it.
Corporate wellness programs should focus on the
changing of poor health habits as a top challenge in
order to maintain affordable benefits coverage. A
successful wellness program will help employees
improve their physical health, will improve
communication throughout the organization and
improve the workplace culture.
Quebec’s Groupe de promotion pour la prévention
en santé (GP2S) is an organization that has worked
for a number of years to establish an ISO standard
for workplace wellness. According to GP2S, there
are a number of factors that will affect the success
of wellness programs. Firstly, commitment must
come from top management; the leaders of the
company must be convinced of the value of the
endeavour and must lead by example. Secondly,
the program should be structured and integrated;
managers need to define a comprehensive wellness
strategy that is integrated to the business strategy,
with a budget, timeline and thorough planning of
resources. Third, the objectives of the program
must be linked to the business objectives and the
needs of employees, meaning that the program
must be well integrated into the management
system.
32
Review’s article, “The Pillars of an Effective
Workplace Wellness Program”, “Wellness is not
just a mission—it’s a message. How you deliver it
can make all the difference. Sensitivity, creativity
and media diversity are the cornerstones of a
successful communications strategy.” Backing up
the launch of a wellness program with a strong
marketing and communication strategy prevents
employee cynicism and scepticism and builds
employee enthusiasm and excitement.
There is one very critical action that must be taken
to ensure that a wellness program achieves a return
on investment; the entire implementation process
should be based on a detailed diagnostic that
evaluates the global health of the business and the
health risk factors of the employees. Conducting a
diagnostic to uncover employee needs and find out
the most common health risk behaviours allows
companies to invest in real problems, which
drastically improves the potential return of the
wellness program. Finally, the program must be
supported by an adequate budget.
Employers, entrepreneurs and human resources
managers must understand that when it comes to
health and wellness, they must invest now to save
later.
About the Author
Fabien Loszach is a visionary sociologist and
co-owner of Loszach Report, the provider of
an innovative workplace wellness diagnostic.
Employers use the Loszach Report – which
includes detailed results, innovative solutions and a
customized catalogue of the best wellness vendors
– to improve productivity, reduce absenteeism and
minimize their insurance costs.
| September 2011
An estimated 133 million Americans are currently
living with one or more chronic conditions – a figure
that is only expected to grow as the baby boomer
generation ages. Many experience frustration with
monitoring and managing their own or their loved
ones’ complex medical needs.
Remote health monitoring has the potential to not
only drastically reduce health care costs, but also to
improve patients’ quality of life by allowing them to
continue living independently at home rather than
being hospitalized or moved into an assisted living
facility.
High blood pressure alone affects 73 million
Americans. As of 2008, the estimated direct and
indirect cost of high blood pressure was $69.4 billion,
according to the American Heart Association. In
an attempt to combat these high costs, the use of
home blood pressure monitoring is recommended by
several national and international guidelines for the
management of hypertension, including The American
The good news is that today health management Heart Association and The American Society of
providers are offering solutions that make it possible Hypertension. In one study’s analysis of 904 patients
for these individuals to manage their health from using real-time readings from a remote hypertension
anywhere, at any time, while also providing important management program for a period of six months,
informational updates to their caregivers or doctors. the average reduction of systolic blood pressure was
In addition, hospitals are especially challenged to find
ways to improve management of all critical illnesses
in the face of proposals to slash Medicare payments
to facilities that readmit patients within a specific
time period. According to the American Hospital
Association, these new regulations would raise costs
to hospitals an estimated $19 billion over 10 years.
33
| September
August 2011
2011
A
n estimated 133 million Americans are
currently living with one or more chronic
conditions – a figure that is only expected
to grow as the baby boomer generation
ages. Many experience frustration with monitoring
and managing their own or their loved ones’ complex
medical needs.
six months, the average reduction of systolic blood
pressure was 9 mmHg. These decreases in blood
pressure are significant because controlled blood
pressure has been associated with a 35 to 40 percent
mean reduction in stroke incidence, 20 to 25 percent
mean reduction in myocardial infarctions and more
than 50 percent reduction in heart failure. A 12mmHg
drop in average systolic blood pressure will save one
In addition, hospitals are especially challenged to life in every 11 treated patients over ten years. This
find ways to improve management of all critical means that in the 904 patient population, almost 40
illnesses in the face of proposals to slash Medicare lives would be saved.
payments to facilities that readmit patients within
a specific time period. According to the American Regarding congestive heart failure (CHF), there
Hospital Association, these new regulations would are approximately 5.3 million people suffering
raise costs to hospitals an estimated $19 billion over from CHF in the United States. The lifetime risk
10 years.
of developing heart failure at the age of 40 is 20
percent, and approximately 380,000 people above
The good news is that today health management the age of 65 will be diagnosed with CHF annually.
providers are offering solutions that make it possible The estimated total of direct and indirect cost of heart
for these individuals to manage their health from failure in the United States for 2008 is $34.8 billion,
anywhere, at any time, while also providing important with the greatest share being hospitalizations. The
informational updates to their caregivers or doctors. increasing number of patients being hospitalized
Remote health monitoring has the potential to not with CHF has been great cause for concern. The
only drastically reduce health care costs, but also to number of patients with CHF discharged from the
improve patients’ quality of life by allowing them hospital rose from 400,000 in 1979 to over 1 million
to continue living independently at home rather than in 2005. Furthermore, within 4-6 months after
being hospitalized or moved into an assisted living discharge, 47 percent of the patients are likely to
facility.
be readmitted. A recent study of 417 CHF patients
using a remote health monitoring system proved that
High blood pressure alone affects 73 million this was an effective method to reduce congestive
Americans. As of 2008, the estimated direct and heart failure hospital admissions by 57 percent,
indirect cost of high blood pressure was $69.4 billion, demonstrating that these systems can significantly
according to the American Heart Association. In reduce healthcare costs.
an attempt to combat these high costs, the use of
home blood pressure monitoring is recommended Our company has created a revolutionary remote
by several national and international guidelines for health management platform that addresses many
the management of hypertension, including The of today’s most challenging and costly healthcare
American Heart Association and The American issues. For people managing critical conditions such
Society of Hypertension. In one study’s analysis of as congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes,
904 patients using real-time readings from a remote asthma or obesity, our system provides relevant, realhypertension management program for a period of time, reliable and actionable data. This can deliver
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Septrmber 2011
Corporate Wellness Magazine
14
35
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w w w. C o r p o r a t e We l l n e s s M a g a z i n e . c o m
August 2011
interactive, personalized communication, allowing
individuals to become more engaged and active
participants in their own health. This approach also
makes proactive prevention more realistic than
ever, as it is instrumental in gauging health issues
before critical conditions manifest themselves into
acute events. For example, daily blood pressure
readings are more indicative of someone developing
hypertension than having one reading taken every
six months at the doctor’s office.
Remote health monitoring devices and programs
are designed to empower patients to take an
active role in the management of their personal
health. Patients with a critical illness need to be
able to easily follow their care plans and make
necessary lifestyle or medication modifications.
This can minimize the chance that they will
develop additional complications that could further
jeopardize their health, thus requiring expensive
treatment. Consistent and regular monitoring of
blood glucose levels or body weight, for example,
can help reinforce adherence to good health
practices as well. As a bonus, because some remote
36
|
health monitoring devices, like ours, are wireless,
they can also make it possible to manage health
while traveling or on the go.
Many remote health management systems not only
offer solutions for patients, but for their caregivers
as well. Often caregivers look to technology for
assistance in tracking a person’s status or progress,
and now computers, smart phones and even tablets
can enable health care providers to monitor patients
in their homes and let adult children and other
family members keep an eye on aging parents.
When a patient steps on the scale in the morning
or checks their blood glucose level before a meal,
for example, a designated caretaker team can be
notified, even if they are hundreds or thousands of
miles away.
The compact, affordable and easy-to-use devices
monitor data and can automatically and wirelessly
transmit this information to the individual’s
healthcare team without the need for cumbersome
wires or manual data entry.
Septrmber 2011
Join The Corporate Health and Wellness Association
www.WellnessAssociation.com
One person who has experienced firsthand the
benefits of remote health monitoring is 70-year-old
Ira Roberts, who is living with diabetes. A church
minister for 35 years, he also teaches at William
Patterson University and travels over 300 miles
a week as a gospel musician. With such a busy
schedule, Ira can’t afford to let his diabetes slow
him down. At home or on the road, he stays on a
healthy track by providing his doctors with 24/7
access to all his latest health information.
healthcare team, including physicians, family and
other designated caregivers. That team can then
access this information to assist with timely and
appropriate healthcare decisions.
Health care is increasingly top of mind for
Americans, as well as those around the world, from
physicians and hospitals, to patients and caregivers.
If patients with chronic conditions are able to
manage them at home or remotely, healthcare
costs would likely decrease, people would have
Ira does this by using a remote glucose meter, which better understanding of their own health and their
makes it easy to capture and transmit important caretaker will be able to have more peace of mind.
blood sugar data, no matter where he happens to
be. For Ira, being able to send his glucose readings
wirelessly and automatically via our system is About the Author
what has allowed him to remain active and fully
independent.
Jason Goldberg founded
IDEAL LIFE in 2002. As
The device “helps me manage my health by getting
president, Goldberg oversees
all my doctors on the same page,” said Ira. “The
overall product development,
system acts as a watchdog of my diabetes.”
management and corporate
direction. Under his guidance,
Ira once took injected medications to manage his IDEAL LIFE has grown from a simple idea into
Type II diabetes, which tended to cause significant a leading global health technology company
fluctuations in his body weight. Now, in addition spanning multiple continents with the largest
to his glucose meter, Ira uses a digital body weight implementation of remote health management
scale, to monitor his weight on a daily basis. solutions.
Such accurate, up-to-the-minute information has
allowed his doctors to make timely and effective
medication adjustments. Together, the two products
have proved so successful that Ira has been able to
stop taking three medications.
These easy, affordable, consumer-inspired devices
are a perfect solution for busy people such as Ira.
When assessing remote health monitoring systems
conducive to travel, it’s essential that they be
compatible with various modes of communication
– such as cell phones, telephone lines and the
Internet – so no matter where you are, you can
capture, store, and send health information to your
38
|
September 2011
Comprehensive
Wellness Management
Changes Behaviors
By Shawna R. Dosser
J
oe Kuchera and fellow management
at Western New York’s Unifrax I LLC
knew not to expect an immediate return
on investment when infusing nearly
a quarter of a million dollars into a year-long
workforce wellness program for employees plus
their spouses.
Regardless, one year after the program was
introduced by a third-party health promotion
provider, the percentage of people at risk of health
complications due to nutrition, exercise, weight
and stress decreased. And little by little, the first
signs of a culture shift started appearing – from
39
|
the employee who committed himself to
a weight-loss program after originally
intending to be just a program observer,
to company leaders who sat beside their
employees to learn about health topics and
hit the pavement for company-sponsored
walks.
September 2011
Wellness is not a 100-yard dash. Quick fixes
don’t work, nor do haphazard programs with few
resources or little foresight.
Comprehensive Wellness Management is the
answer.
Why Comprehensive Wellness
Management?
Comprehensive Wellness Management is the best
way to create a culture whereby individuals do
not feel pressured to take action, but comfortably
ease into attending educational sessions or fitness
classes, or seek the counsel of an expert on their
own accord. Individuals are encouraged to make
change for themselves.
Comprehensive Wellness Management empowers
A Comprehensive Wellness Management program is: employees.
• Results-oriented
Unifrax’s Story
• Dependent on data (through assessments) to
Unifrax seeks long-term lifestyle behavior changes
identify needs and set goals
to decrease health risks. Changes begin at home, so
• Proactive, stressing prevention through
it made sense to include spouses in a program.
education and one-on-one counseling (through
health coaching)
• Inclusive of incentives to encourage healthy
behaviors and lifestyles
Combined, these tools not only provide a wellrounded approach, but a powerful foundation for
implementing a successful behavior modification
infrastructure, which is necessary for sustained
lifestyle changes.
40
| September 2011
Recognizing that they needed to provide a • Fitness assessment to gauge physical fitness
supportive environment, officials designed a
through weight, BMI (body mass index), body
program with three primary features: health factor
composition, girth measurements, lung volume,
awareness and incentives, wellness education and
flexibility and strength
health coaching, and policy changes.
• Health risk appraisal (HRA) to analyze overall
The initiative would also focus on three “modifiable”
wellness through self-reported data, including
risk factors that have the most critical impact in
physical and emotional factors, and possibly
leading to potential health hazards: tobacco use,
unlock clues to health concerns
blood pressure and cholesterol ratio.
Individuals received a personalized, comprehensive
Health promotion professionals are typically 12 page report of their biometric data. Each person
the force behind shaping a company’s wellness met confidentially with a health professional to
program. However, Unifrax proved to be a true decipher the results and have questions answered.
intellectual consumer by researching what works Immediate discussion of the collected data provided
and what doesn’t, and came to the table knowing an “educational opportunity” – an essential step in
exactly what they wanted to achieve.
successful behavior change.
For delivery, they turned to the expertise of a
Western New York-based company offering
the gamut of health promotion services, from
health data gathering to health coaching. It was
important for employees to be engaged through
in-person interaction with an accessible, flexible
multidisciplinary team of health professionals.
Nutritional habits were discussed, ideal weight was
calculated and short- and long-term goals were set.
Participants were urged to start a personal health
file and share it with their physicians.
Reports contained an overall wellness score based
on a 0 to 100 scale. Scores were also assigned to
eight health factors: weight, exercise, nutrition,
stress, smoking, cancer risk, cholesterol and blood
The program kicked off in February 2009, one year pressure. Less than 80 in any category placed the
after a pilot launched at an Indiana Unifrax facility. individual “at risk” for adverse health outcomes,
such as cardiac issues, cancer or other significant
Assessing Health
illness.
All employees – including both full-time and parttime – and their spouses were eligible to participate.
Every participant initially underwent a 45 to 60
minute health assessment to obtain real-time data
in capturing a snapshot of personal health.
Assessments were used to increase awareness
about overall employee health among company
executives, who were provided aggregate data
that compared risks appearing companywide with
national averages, such as high blood pressure or
the occurrence of being overweight. This data was
Data is integral to not only raise awareness of delivered blindly – reported as a whole through
health status, but to identify the changes needed scales and percentages, and not connected to
for improvement and determine personal goals. An individuals.
accurate view was gained through the following
assessments administered by the professional third- Impacting the Individual
party team:
Pre-assessment findings prompted the offering of
• Biometric screening to determine blood hour-long classes targeted at nutrition and eating
pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels
sensibly, diabetes risk, tobacco and physical
41
| September 2011
activity. An injury prevention program was delivered
based on the high occurrence of employees visiting
doctors for musculoskeletal problems.
Kuchera said that the most successful component
of the program proved to be one-on-one health
coaching. Sixty-four percent of individuals who
received attention from health coach-advisors rated
it as “excellent,” while 29 percent found it to be
“very good.”
The service was optional for those deemed to be
within the top 50 percent of being at risk for health
issues. Qualified individuals received 20 minutes
each month of confidential health advisement from
credentialed health professionals and were provided
access to open office hours if extra time was needed.
Health coaching institutes a layer of accountability,
and delves into personal health issues, behavior
concerns, family health history and risk factors.
Health coach-advisors ask the right questions and
listen to build trust. They break down barriers to
address the underlying causes obstructing positive
choices, whether the culprit is family habits or a
lack of knowledge, and point participants toward
resources in the community. Sometimes, they are
simply a non-judgmental sounding board.
Most importantly, health coach-advisors empower
individuals to identify their own pathways, making
for a stronger approach more likely to result in
sustainable change.
Although not everyone responded on the same
level, many individuals were actively engaged in the
program and attended the coaching sessions each
month, whether through in-person appointments,
phone calls or communicating via email. Less than
2 percent of the eligible population initially declined
involvement and, overall, 90 percent continued to
receive health coaching for one year.
42
|
September 2011
Championing the Program
If Unifrax was to expect participation, its leaders
needed to buy into the program. Not only did they
involve themselves alongside employees, but the
company joined the “eat well live well” challenge
– a free, online, eight-week program designed by
grocer Wegmans to encourage healthier living.
incentive payout. Participants earned $100 for
each of the following criteria met:
• A blood pressure of 120/80 or less
• A cholesterol ratio equal to or under 4.5
• Tobacco-free
Short-term Results
The company’s top decision-makers also gave Health professionals returned six months after the
a large boost to the program by rewarding program start, in September and October 2010, to
participants who successfully met targeted goals. conduct a posttest.
From winter 2010 until then, the average overall
A married couple could potentially earn $700, wellness score increased from 68 to 71. The
deposited in their health savings account. Each percentage of people considered to be at risk in the
participant received $50 for solely participating top four risk areas of nutrition, exercise, weight
in the assessment. Thereafter, the post-assessment and stress decreased considerably over 6 months.
completed six months later determined the The comparison is outlined in Table 1 below.
43
|
September 2011
A meta-analysis of literature on costs and savings
associated with worksite wellness programs,
published in the February 2010 issue of “Health
Affairs,” found that medical costs fall by about
$3.27 for every dollar spent. Absenteeism costs
decrease by about $2.73 for every dollar spent.
The findings are a result of the study “Workplace
Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings,”
conducted by Katherine Baicker, David Cutler and
Zirui Song, all of Harvard University.
tools for change. Now is the time for them to help
their employees make better lifestyle choices,
which ultimately leads to a healthier workforce
and healthier country.
About the Author
Shawna
Dosser,
MS,
CWPM, CLSSGB, is founder
and president of BWI Health
Promotions, the creative
In the case of Unifrax, $250,000 was invested.
wellness solutions, teamApplying the above formulas, it is estimated
building and health education
that medical costs would fall by $817,500 and company that provided health promotion services
absenteeism costs would decrease by $682,500.
to Unifrax. In 2010, the BWI National Health
Promotion Training Institute was launched to offer
A shift in individual and corporate behavior/ web-based certification courses to health-related
mentality is evident, from one of treatment and professionals and employee populations.
cure to one concentrated on prevention and
improved well-being.
Changing Behaviors
So what can we learn from Unifrax?
1. Ensure that upper management understands
and supports the goals of a wellness program.
It is a long-term culture change, and it may take
years before the company sees the benefits.
2. Because it is difficult for people to change, it
is important to include some form of incentive
for motivation purposes.
3. Enlist the help of a third-party health promotion
provider, which should be composed of health
professionals (dietitians, educators, exercise
physiologists, nurses) trained in prevention,
health education and behavior change, and who
create personal relationships with employees
and spouses.
Employers have immense power to shape the future
health of our nation by providing information and
44
| September 2011
T
he cold and flu season is right around
the corner. Expect sneezes, sniffling
and snot from the coworker who just
borrowed your stapler. In an ideal
world, people would not show up to work sick.
But with the economy the way it is and people
lax to miss work for fear of losing a paycheck
or losing their job, we have to protect ourselves
45
| September 2011
instead.
Here are some tips to keep you healthy in
the work place this time of year:
Let’s start with the basics. Our mothers were right;
hand washing can protect you from germs. Make
sure you wash your hands with soap and hot water
and get between your fingers and under your
fingernails. I know a lot of office staff that keep
hand sanitizer at their desks and disinfectant wipes
close by in case you are covering someone else’s
phone or using their supplies. Don’t get too germadverse though, because we do build up our immune
system by being around germs. In between hand
washing, avoid touching your face and eyes
too.
Taking a multivitamin containing extra
vitamin C and Zinc has been shown
to help prevent colds and speed their
recovery time. Some people mega dose
on Vitamin C, but we can only absorb
a certain amount at a time (opinions
vary on how much), so if you are
going to take extra vitamin C, spread
out the dose. Too much vitamin C
can cause loosen bowels and gas,
which is a good hint that you’ve
had too much. I personally am a
big fan of Airborne ™. I find it
works for me and is worth a shot
for you too.
Herbs
like
46
Echinacea
Golden Seal have properties that can help speed
healing of colds and flu. Garlic is another helpful
herb and can be taken in your food or bought in
a “de-smelled” supplement form like Kyolic™.
There are numerous supplement formulas on the
market to boost your immune system; I recommend
trying some and seeing what you like best.
Homeopathics are a safe and easy way to try to stave
off illness. Homeopathy works on the principle
of “like cures like” and you decide on the remedy
based on a combination of
very specific symptoms
like: Is your nose
stuffy on just
the right side?
Does
your
headache get
better when
you
and
|
September 2011
drink cold water? Are you craving salt? Is your
face flushed? Are you cranky and want to be left
alone? Answering a series of questions such as
those can guide you to the right single remedy.
allows the body to relax as you concentrate on both
the breath and the words and keeps other thoughts
from intruding. If thoughts do penetrate, just
acknowledge and dismiss them without judgment.
Combination remedies are also readily available
and tend to mingle the most common remedies
for the ailment. There are remedies simply named
Cold and Flu and there is an effective combination
called oscillococcinum™, which has worked for
me in the past. You can inquire in your favorite
health food store or contact a trained professional.
Try to be as happy as you can. I’ve observed
people who are always sick, you know them; they
catch everything that comes around. And they
always try to blame someone for “getting them
sick”. I’ve noticed that these folks more often than
not are basically unhappy people. Perhaps they
don’t like their jobs, maybe their marriage is less
than ideal, could be some depression. Whatever
Keep drinking that water! Not only should we have the source of the unhappiness is, I think that if they
a large amount of water for health in general, but can be happier, they will also be healthier. Illness
it’s even more important when we are sick. Water is very often used as excuse to not face something
can help thin out that mucous and keep our noses and for someone that is “always sick”; I’d ask them
and lungs clear. Tea, broth and juice are good too! to examine what else is going on in their lives. It’s
sometimes a really hard question to ask, but worth
We have enormous power in our mind. I fully the work if you want to stay healthy and have a
believe that we can talk ourselves in and out of long and productive life.
being sick. If you are afraid of every germ and
sure that so and so from you office is infecting you, Now, what about western medicine, what does it
chances are you are going to catch it. Our attitude have to offer at this time of year? Not much frankly.
and what we say in our minds strongly effects Right now people are rushing to get their flu shots.
what happens in our bodies. Repeating to yourself These are recommended for older adults, children
that you are healthy and well or that your immune and people with compromised immune systems.
system is strong can actually prevent you from Every year the formula changes in an effort to battle
catching the latest thing and boost your defenses.
the virus of the year. Some people have found
the flu shot makes them sick, and others get the
De-stress yourself! So much research has been flu anyway. I have read numerous reports that the
done on the effects of stress on the immune system. flu shot increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease
And let’s be clear, it’s not so much the stress, from the additives like mercury and aluminum
it’s your reaction to the stress. If you can take which are contained in the vaccine. I’ve also seen
things in stride and make sure you are allowing evidence that the vaccine doesn’t do anything at
yourself some downtime to process all of what is all. Remember that the flu shot is a combination
happening in your life, you can keep that immune of many chemical and natural compounds, some
system healthier. I recommend what are called of which can have side effects. I’m not suggesting
“minis”. They are small meditations that invoke you skip the shot, just be informed before you
the relaxation response as opposed to the stress make any medical or natural health choice.
response. On the inhale say in your mind “I am”
and on the exhale say “at peace” or “pure love” or Antibiotics are another thing that just isn’t going
“pure joy” or “truly well”. You get the idea. This to help you get rid of that cold. A cold is caused
47
|
September 2011
About the Author
Dr. Kathy Gruver PhD,
author of The Alternative
Medicine Cabinet, has been
featured as an expert in
countless publications and
has written dozens of health
and wellness articles. She has appeared as a guest
on over 50 radio shows and has done over 40
educational lectures around the country. For more
information and free health tips and resources go
to www.thealternativemedicinecabinet.com
by a virus, antibiotics work on bacteria. So, if
it develops into an upper respiratory infection
or sinus infection that would be the time to take
some antibiotics. Some doctors recommend flu
anti-virals, which are effective if taken at the first
signs of being sick (within the first two days).
It can decrease the length of the flu by 1 or 2
days and makes you less contagious to others
according to the CDC website. These specific
drugs will not work on a cold, just the flu.
And remember, all the negative effects that you
get when you have a cold, the sneezing, runny
nose, coughing? That is the body’s effort to get
the bad stuff out. Try not to repress the symptoms
too much or it may prolong the illness. But if you
can, get plenty of rest and take the time off work!
I hope you all make it through the year healthy,
well and disease free. But if you do happen to
catch something, I hope these natural health hints
make it an easier time for you. Good luck and
good health!
48
|
September 2011
I
magine receiving your credit card bill every
month, and the only information you’re provided
is an amount due and a “pay by” date of 48 hours
from now. The amount due doesn’t look too far off
from what it was on your last statement, so you shrug
and just pay your bill – you can trust your credit card
company, right? Let’s say you realize one month you
should be responsible and decide to check your bill for
accuracy. You contact your credit card company for a
full statement complete with the charges you’ve made,
but they tell you you’re not allowed to review your
bill now but can conduct a spot audit at the end of the
year. For the audit, only a couple weeks of a detailed
account of your purchases will be provided
and referenced for accuracy, and the weeks
chosen will be at the credit card company’s
discretion.
Sound ridiculous? Of course
it is.
We may scoff at this scenario and think
49
|
September 2011
no corporate entity can be this unaccountable with
people’s hard-earned money. Yet a similar system
has been used for prescription medication bills
across the nation for decades now. Every two
weeks, $12 billion of pharmacy benefit claims is
paid to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) without
review. Corporations, government entities, and
unions – to name a few – receive their prescription
claim bills every other week and often have only 48
hours to write checks to their PBMs for the amount
due. Payers do not receive detailed statements of
all the claims for which they are being charged,
and even if they did, their HR departments
certainly do not have the resources to
review spreadsheets with millions of fields
of data for accuracy—and certainly not within
48 hours. Compound this lack of oversight with
the fact that errors and overcharges do occur.
Insurance companies and PBMs play a crucial role
in ensuring healthcare is available to people across
the country. But while their functions are indeed
valuable, the cost to payers of doing this kind of
business is billions of dollars each year in
preventable overcharges.
You might ask why these errors
even occur. The reasons center
around the complexity of
the current drug payment
system in the United
States. PBM contracts
are long and complex,
and the systems
used to process
50
claims data are old and never move out of production.
As a nation, we have come to accept margins of
error. They seem to be inevitable. However, with
skyrocketing healthcare costs stifling economic
recovery and significantly impeding the ability of
businesses to grow, the margin of error on drug
spend has a direct impact on the level of success
that companies, government entities, states, and
the nation as a whole are so desperately looking
to achieve or sustain. IMS Institute reports U.S.
national drug spend to be at $307.4 billion for 2010.
Looking at a reasonable margin of error anywhere
from 2 to 5 percent, we as a country are
spending $6 billion to $15 billion in
errors.
Our governments have put policies and measures
in place to help protect health information and
enforce responsibility and accountability through
legislation such as Medicare
Prescription Drug Improvement
and Modernization Act of 2003
(Medicare Part D) and the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). But
there is nothing in place to mandate
transparency or drug spending accountability,
despite great pressure on entities to comply in such
| September 2011
a complex drug care system. Prescription drug
costs continue to grow at 7 percent year over
year and are on pace to double within ten years,
so this issue will only grow in importance going
forward.
While credit card holders are generally not
held responsible for errors on their credit card
bills, payers are responsible for errors on their
prescription claim invoices – PBMs assume
no liability, so payers alone have the fiduciary
responsibility to protect their plan members.
As prescription drug costs continue to rise,
reviewing the PBM bill with each invoice is
an important step to providing immediate plan
savings today and ensuring cost containment in
the future.
About the Author
Dr. Kristin Begley is
responsible for developing
and implementing strategic
programs for pharmacy
benefit management at
Truveris.
51
| September 2011
P
revalence
to mental illness have overtaken claims associated
with cardiovascular disease as the fastest growing
One in five Canadians will experience category of disability costs in Canada. Most mental
a mental illness in their lifetime. In any year, 12 health problems in the workplace occur in people
percent of Canadians age 15 to 64 suffer from a who are in their prime working years.
mental disorder or substance dependence, at least
4 percent suffer from major depression and three Mental health issues affecting the workplace fall
times that many have minor depression. Mental generally into two categories:
illness accounts for more than 15 percent of the
burden of disease in Canada, but gets only about 1. Stress and related conditions from the workplace
itself;
5.5 percent of public health dollars. And stigma,
although on the decline, is still a big issue.
2. Employees dealing with issues originating
outside the workplace
In the workplace, mental illness is the second leading
cause of disability, each day 500,000 Canadians
are absent from work for mental health issues and In either case, productivity suffers and employees
accounts for nearly 30 percent of disability claims may either take additional time off or come to work
and 70 percent of total costs and claims attributable at diminished capacity.
53
|
September 2011
A study of days per year absent from work, for they have to pay, either out-of-pocket and/or
those who did and did not report a mental health through private (often employer sponsored)
issue, in Canada, 2003 showed:
insurance. One study showed that in 2003, for
people over age 20, almost 500,000 persons
Getting Help
consulted a psychologist; over 70 percent had
at least some portion of the cost paid by private
insurance; the rest paid entirely out-of-pocket.
But there is good news. The chart below shows
the results of patient perceived outcomes for
users of mental health services, Ontario, 2004:
Relatively few Canadians who need mental health
services get help. One study indicated that only
32 percent of those with a mental disorders or
substance dependency saw or talked to a health
professional during the 12 months prior to the
survey. The professional most often contacted is
a family physician, followed by psychiatrists and
psychologists.
Workplace Response
In general, the response from business and
industry to workplace mental health problems has
not been adequate. Much has fallen to Employee
Assistance Programs (EAP). While an EAP may
In Canada, there are about 12 psychiatrists be appropriate for certain items, when it comes
for every 100,000 people, compared with 35 to mental health care for employees, EAP’s do
psychologists. Other professionals providing not go far enough. EAP’s may best work as a
mental health services include psychiatric nurses short-term way for employees to enter the mental
and social workers. A lot of mental health services health service arena, but they are not set up to
are provided in the private health sector. If a effectively deal with many issues.
person sees a psychologist outside of a hospital,
54
| September 2011
Depression is one of the most prevalent mental
health conditions, in and out of the workplace,
and while medication is often a big help,
psychotherapy is also very beneficial, often in
combination with medication. One of the most
widely accepted interventions showing excellent
results is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT),
often done over a course of 12 to 16 sessions.
However, most EAPs allow for only a few visits
in any one year (often four to six) or a few visits
for any one condition.
In the workplace, two of the most common ways
of addressing the issue, EAP’s and health benefits
programs, have significant limitations. And of
course, offering more under benefits plans, even
though there may be a longer-term payback, has
short-term cost implications which businesses
are not likely to assume, especially in the current
economic climate.
Employers can take some proactive approaches
to deal with mental health in the workplace,
including education. Workplaces can link with
Another shortcoming of EAP’s is they often only resources in the community, whether directly or
use clinicians who are not trained or able to offer through their EAP.
treatments such as CBT. But EAP’s can refer
depressed employees to other facilities and/or Being aware of issues, ensuring a workplace that
service providers; the issue then comes back to doesn’t stigmatize, educating, and promoting
availability of professionals and cost. Still, EAP’s optimal mental health, are good places to start.
should be aware of local resources and at least be
able to screen those who present with depression About the Author
and/or other mental health problems.
David Michaels is the CEO at The Clinic For
Health benefits offered by the workplace are also Emotional Wellness Inc in Vaughan, Ontario. David
largely inadequate for dealing with mental health. holds a Master’s degree in health administration
Many plans do not cover psychological services from the University of Toronto and experience
sufficiently to allow for a proper course of therapy. in government, public and private health care,
Another issue with health benefits plans is that including over 16 years as the Administrator of
coverage for “other professionals”, usually referred one of Canada’s largest children’s mental health
to in those plans as “para-medical” providers, centres.
may lump these disciplines with a cap on services
each year. Services from a psychologist may be References
covered under the same umbrella as services from
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health:
optometrists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, etc., 1.
2.
http://www.camh.net/News_events/Key_CAMH_facts_for_media/
addictionmentalhealthstatistics.html
with a limit of perhaps $500 per year.
3.
Great West Life:
4.
5.
6.
Going Forward
The current situation with workplace mental health
mirrors mental health in Canada generally. Those
with mental health issues face difficulty accessing
services as not a lot is covered by the public health
system. Also, there is the issue of stigma; many
people fear what others will think. A lot of people
are not aware of the fact that current approaches
to dealing with mental health conditions show
excellent results.
55
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
http://www.gwlcentreformentalhealth.com/english/display.asp?l1=3&d=3
Institute for Health Economics:
http://www.ihe.ca/documents/Spending
percent20on%20Mental%20
Health%20Final.pdf
http://www.ihe.ca/documents/AMHB_Statistics_pktbk07_eng.pdf
Lin E, Durbin J, Koegl C, Murray M, Tucker T, Daniel I, et al. Hospital report,
2004. Toronto, ON:
http://www.longwoods.com/product.php?productid=16820&cat=350&page=1
Canadian community health survey Cycle 2.1 2003
The Canadian Collaborative Mental Health Initiative:
http://www.ccmhi.ca/en/products/documents/09_Prevalence_EN.pdf
Canadian Mental Health Association:
http://www.cmha.ca/BINS/content_page.asp?cid=3-86-87
Mental Health Commission of Canada:
http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/Key_
Documents/en/2009/Stress%20at%20Work%20MHCC%20V%203%20
Feb%202009.pdf
Depression and Work Function: Bridging the Gap between Mental Health Care
and the Workplace:
http://www.comh.ca/publications/resources/dwf/Work_Depression.pdf
| September 2011

T - Corporate Wellness Magazine

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