Innovative State Health Initiatives Targeting Youth, Seniors, Employees and the Community

It is well known that poor diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use are the major preventable causes of disease in the United States. States are facing rising health care costs and alarming statistics on unhealthy lifestyles. An example of this trend is New Jersey. In 2007, it cost the state more than $2.3 billion to pay for medical problems related to obesity. In New Jersey, 55 percent of the population is obese or overweight.

To address this critical issue and encourage healthy living and wellness, the New Jersey Health Care and Quality Institute created The "Mayors Wellness Campaign"http://www.mayorswellnesscampaign.org/dev/index.php The wellness program comes with a toolbox of strategies based on reaching:

• youth
• employees
• seniors
• communities

The program encourages all Mayors to take a pledge to develop and implement active-living initiatives in their communities. The campaign's ultimate goal is to improve health and reduce skyrocketing health care costs.

Another State taking action is New York. New York State Health or NYSH http://www.nyshealthfoundation.org/ was established in 2006 to improve the overall health of New York communities. The mission of the private statewide agency includes informing and educating New Yorkers about preventive services, promote healthy behavior and lifestyles, and provide health service delivery to improve health outcomes. NYSH latest initiative and priority is reversing the New York diabetes epidemic. The total cost of diabetes for New York in 2006 was estimated at $12.9 billion, including excess medical costs attributed to diabetes of $8.7 billion and lost productivity valued at $4.2 billion. NYSH has recently announced the launch of a landmark $35 million campaign to reverse the growing diabetes epidemic. More than 1.5 million New York State residents have diabetes.

Start your own employee wellness initiatives now. Your efforts may reduce health care costs and improve employee health. Summer is the perfect time to plan!

More Ideas from State Employee Wellness Initiatives

Soaring health care costs and alarming health statistics have many states implementing health and prevention programs for their employees and citizens. Last week I mentioned the initiatives for North Carolina and Arkansas. Here are some additional summer programs in the works:

American Hiking from Michigan will commemorate National Trails Day. The slogan for National Trails Day 2008, 'Join Us on the Trail', "is an open invitation to all Americans to join-up with a local hiking club, outdoor retailer, local park and recreation department, or federal land managing agency to get outside and experience everything the great outdoors has to offer". www.americanhiking.org/events/ntd/ http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails.

Kentucky has an initiative that focuses on healthier lifestyles and is called "Get Healthy Kentucky" http://gethealthy.ky.gov/org/worksite/simplestarts.htmGeneral ideas for the program include:

1. Bulletin Boards - Including topics such as: Summer Sun Safety, Men’s/Women’s Health, Food Safety, Food Guidance System, Sugar Content of Foods, Fiber, Whole Grains, etc
2. Health Promotion Emails - distribute company-wide health emails to all staff. Examples may include promoting special events such as Bike + Walk to Work Day, National Trails Day, National Farmers’ Market Week, National 5 A Day
3. Paycheck Message Insert - Post quick and simple ‘health tip’ messages inside employee paychecks. This is especially cost efficient if reaching a large number of employees at once
4. Social Support - promote health related discussions, weight loss tips and communication being exchanged on a daily basis.
   
   More states and their initiatives to come next week

State Wellness Programs Challenge the Private Sector

Citing rising health care costs and alarming health statistics, several states have implemented wellness programs in hope that the private sector will follow. Most state programs vary in size and strategy but generally fall into the following categories:

• Programs offering health assessments and monitoring
• Health insurance incentives with financial rewards for healthy behaviors
• Healthy work environment initiatives
• Fitness challenges and events

For example North Carolina offers HealthSmart's a personal health portal where employees can take a personal health assessment and receive a personal plan of action; explore conditions centers like back pain, diabetes, and learn about lifestyle programs such as nutrition and fitness http://www.shpnc.org/nc-healthsmart.html.

In Arkansas, Governor Huckabee has created a financial incentive for state employees to lead a healthy lifestyle through regular health screenings, reduced tobacco use, increased physical activity during work, and improved nutrition. State employees receive a $20/per month reduction in insurance premiums if they take part in a voluntary health risk survey. During the first months of the state employee self assessment, 18,000 employees and 4,000 employee spouses took the assessment! The state is gathering baseline data on citizen health to measure progress and challenges. The state also offers a Work site Wellness Guide and Tool Kit for useful tools and ideas for your Work site Wellness program. http://www.arkansas.gov/ha/worksite_wellness/

I will be posting more state program links in the next few blogs. If a government agency can actually implement a program and see measurable results, there is no doubt a smaller company can produce healthier employees.

Help Your Males Maximize on Health, Celebrate Men's Health Month

June is Men's Health Month and celebrated across the country to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment among men and boys.

This is a great time and opportunity to promote males to seek out regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury. This month is distinguished across the United States with health fairs, screenings, and other health education and outreach activities. Some fun and interesting options to provide for your employees would be:

• A health fair that includes blood pressure, cholesterol, PSA (prostate specific antigen), and body fat composition
• Fitness demonstrations including yoga, karate, self defense and strength training
• Healthy cooking demonstrations with meal and snack samples
• Seminar or presentation on men's health topics
• Education materials on heart health, prostate and testicular cancer, and blood pressure
• Raffle off a gift certificate for Men's Health Magazine (http://www.MensHealth.com)

Get your men to recognize that lifestyle does matter! Another resource:
Blueprint for Men’s Health at http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/blueprint/ . This 70 page book discusses the main health issues that men face today. Each chapter focuses on a single condition or group of related conditions effecting men. The book gives practical, easy to implement prevention strategies and it can be downloaded for free!