Maxim Health Systems Partners with ImmuneTech to Provide Innovative Allergy Test to Corporate Wellness Clients
Advanced allergy testing is now available to corporate and community wellness programs, thanks to a partnership between Maxim Health Systems and ImmuneTech, Inc.
Read more on PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance

Corporate Run turns Fort Lauderdale into rush hour on foot
Korir, Morales take overall titles in field of 4,882 runners from 176 companies The rat race had an actual finish line Thursday as nearly 5,000 runners on 176 company teams conducted rush hour on foot in the Fort Lauderdale Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run.
Read more on Sun-Sentinel

Best answer:

Answer by rockinrave
And the insurance company gets sued/fined if they deny something that can be proven was medically necessary. Insurance companies cannot deny care for just any reason.

Give your answer to this question below!

(PRWEB) June 19, 2008

Bethesda, MD June 16, 2008 – Wellness Corporate Solutions (WCS), a leading provider of results oriented wellness programs for employers nationwide today announces the launch of a proprietary wellness methodology, Well Employee Solutions. The program helps support employers to design effective yearlong wellness programs to improve the health and lifestyles of their employees. This new solutions yields excellent results because WCS pairs identification with intention by focusing on three stages of employee wellness (identification, modification, and prevention).

The Well Employee Model provides a wellness profile for each employee, as well as a Corporate Risk Profile and Mitigation Strategy. Program offerings include biometric screening, interactive health coaching and a variety of online and onsite programming options. Wellness Corporate Solutions will soon be announcing interactive presentations to introduce the Well Employee Model to employers, benefit brokers and channel partners.

“Employers of all sizes are looking for creative and innovative ways of keeping their employees healthy,” said Fiona Gathright, President of Wellness Corporate Solutions. “We are pleased to be part of that solution; our Well Employee Solutions Model is making a difference in the lives of employees by supporting and promoting a culture of health within organizations.”

Wellness Corporate Solutions is a leading provider of comprehensive employee wellness programs including health screening, health coaching for high risk employees, health education seminars and programs, and incentivized employee health challenges. WCS services and programs are conducted by professional, experienced staff, and clients include employers both public and private, nationwide. Wellness Corporate Solutions is dedicated to providing creative, flexible wellness programs that save employers money by impacting their health care bottom line.

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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Are there programs that guide hikes, for example, for corporate employees?

Best answer:

Answer by CommonSense
>”corporate wellness retreats”

What level and kind of “corporate” employees are we talking about?

Just curious, are you aware of the current employment situation? Social group activities are not really a big priority today! There’s really not a lot of discretionary income for companies to sponsor “wellness retreats”!

Give your answer to this question below!

TO THEIR BENEFIT Employer-sponsored wellness programs help contain costs
Next year, employers and their employees could watch average health care premiums rise an average of 8.8 percent. Premiums rose 6.9 percent in 2010 and 6.0 percent in 2009, according to a September report by human resource consultants Hewitt Associates.
Read more on St. Lucie News Tribune

‘Beat the Holiday Bulge’ Weight Management Challenge
PureWellness, a leading provider of online wellness solutions and the prestigious Brigham and Women’s Hospital have partnered to deliver the Second Annual ‘Beat the Holiday Bulge’ Weight Management Challenge. Â
Read more on PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance

The rising prosperity of Asia’s growing economies has drawn adverse consequences on employee wellness and the work-life balance of many people. Intensified global competition and the expanding wealth gaps in Asia have been known to induce stress and create tension.

A growing segment of Asia’s working population reports being overworked and excessively strained, along with symptoms of fatigue, depression and anxiety, muscle and skeletal pains, sleeping disorders and a rapid increase in chronic diseases.

Long working hours, excessive workload, weekend duties, inadequate physical activity and an unhealthy lifestyle are often cited as the key sources of chronic fatigue and work stress. Mounting incidents of occupational illnesses and accidents, and the growing number of suicides among prime-aged working adults further raise concerns regarding individuals’ health awareness and limited corporate effectiveness among many firms in employee wellness management.

The economic downturn posed additional challenges on work-life balance. When companies try hard to remain profitable, programs to support the well-being of human capital appears to lose relevance.

“The State of Work- Life Balance in Hong Kong Survey 2009″, conducted by Community Business, a membership based non-profit organisation whose mission is to lead, inspire and support businesses to improve their positive impact on people and communities, reveals that there is little to no improvement in crucial work-life balance parameters whilst health issues are on the rise.

Hong Kong Working Hours

According to the study employees in Hong Kong work long hours and spend little time on their personal lives.  On average, employees were working 48.4 hours per week in 2009. This is 21% higher than the 40 hours recommended by the International Labour Organisation and one of the highest rates amongst other cities in Asia. These long hours leave the Hong Kong employees with little time for their personal lives, with most spending less than two hours per day on personal activities.

The Impact of Poor Work-Life Balance on Employees and Businesses

Poor work-life balance continues to take a toll on employees and businesses, both directly and indirectly. As per the survey, three-quarters of employees suffer from problems related to health and family due to poor work-life balance. More than half of the respondents (53.4%) report prolonged fatigue, sleepiness and extreme tiredness, whilst 40.8% cite not having time for their partner and family and 31.0% report suffering from insomnia and poor diet.

Poor diet already contributed to a Body Mass Index (BMI) distribution of 48.8% outside the normal BMI range and almost 40% are considered overweight or obese as the results of the 2008 survey of the Center of Health Protection, Department of Health of The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, showed and for which a total of 2,100 people were examined.     

The impact of poor wellbeing for businesses is critical as heavy work load causes work productivity and quality to deteriorate. Many corporations in Asia have yet to fully analyze the negative impact and costs high levels of stress and fatigue will cause as the level of performance and motivation declines and the rate of absenteeism rises.

These factors alone present a compelling business case for Corporate Health and Wellness initiatives. A proactive assessment of health care costs avoids employee paybacks becoming an escalating burden and initiatives that improve long-term employee health can help slow the rise in health care expenditures.

Initiatives Employers Can Provide to Address Work-Life Balance

As per “The State of Work-Life Balance in Hong Kong Survey 2009″,  Hong Kong employees continue to see a 5-day work week and more paid annual leave as the best way to help them achieve a better work-life balance. Flexible working time and options to work from home surpassed career breaks and unpaid leave and rank as the third and fourth most desirable work arrangements in 2009.

In today’s workplace, employees also expect employers to provide a range of employee wellness options. In an increasingly competitive labour market which is exceedingly pressurized, employers are wise to collaborate to employees into areas that can positively differentiate from other employers. According to Hewitt’s Best Employers 2006/07 study, one of the factors of good quality organisational leadership is to “identity and act on the premise that their people are the primary source of performance, competitive advantage, long term sustainability and focus”.

Benefits to provide Health and Wellness Services

The major influences on implementing workplace wellness programs are varied and range from talent attraction and retention, reduced workers’ compensation claims, company legal liabilities, corporate social responsibility, disability management, improved productivity, performance, growth and profit, stakeholders and shareholder accountability, reductions in operating expenses, lower employee turnover, and improved satisfaction and morale levels.

For example, three out of ten employees in Hong Kong would consider leaving their current job for better work-life balance.

Well designed programs save more than they cost through medical cost containment and increased productivity. A Harvard Business Review study into workplace wellness programs found a decrease of absenteeism and reduced claims costs by employees. For every dollar invested in wellness, work-life balance programs are seen to return between US-5 on average.

PricewaterhouseCoopers published “Working Towards Wellness” assessing the challenges businesses will face as a consequence of the growing epidemic of chronic disease. It found approximately 2% of capital spent on the workforce is lost to disability, absenteeism and presenteeism. 

In addition, the social benefits from comprehensive wellness programs can show a decrease in conflicts between staff, and even lower rates of domestic violence and child abuse. Individuals, families, communities, the private sector, and governments all have roles and responsibilities with respect to wellness and working together to improve wellbeing.

The Roadmap to Success with Health and Wellness Services

US and European experiences show that superficial, education based programs only have little impact. Well designed and long-term programs that improve health knowledge, health behaviors and that address underlying health conditions related to stress, smoking, weight, fitness and nutrition are required. Short term interventions often don’t work as people tend to revert to old behaviors when programs are withdrawn.

Begin with the diagnosis as a systematic and well-research health risk profile provides a solid foundation for a Health and Wellness program. Start with a risk or cost profile to have a basis for a return on investment analysis. The Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) is an excellent tool to profile individuals and groups of employees and it measures four components: family history (cancer, heart disease etc), lifestyle (alcohol, tobacco, exercise, nutrition etc), behavior (readiness to change, self-perception of health status) and clinical (blood pressure, BMI, blood sugar, cholesterol, pap smear, mammograms).

The design of an action and program plan that includes well defined targets and goals to measure the effectiveness should be built based on the results of the initial health assessment. Instead of employing broad awareness and prevention plans, companies would gain greater benefits by grouping employees into different segments based on their individual needs as per their risk screening profile and provide tailor-made solutions to these groups.

The delivery mode of the program can be in the form of onsite services like health examination and immunization to starting personalized health records and coaching and electronically delivered programs, which represent a less costly way of delivery.

For example, employee-assistance programs offering assessment, short-term coaching and referral services for employees and their household members are highly efficient and effective in helping your employees dealing with personal problems that might adversely impact their work performance, health, and well-being.

Companies should carefully select vendors running health and wellness programs and make sure that the vendors can provide the necessary support in terms of geographical span and maintaining your employees privacy. Test their true capabilities before signing a contract.

Top management need to support and communication strongly to make the implementation of a health and wellness program a success and so is the measurement of its effectiveness by reviewing the impact against the goals and targets defined as a source of identification of areas of improvement in the programs.

The gift of health is the best gift you can give your employees. Health and wellness activities should be included in a contemporary business strategy and even a marketing or sales conference can include healthy living programs that promote higher sales and increase employee productivity resulting in a healthier balance sheet.  

List Price: $ 29.88

Price: $ 29.88

Book Cover: Change Made Easy by Lt. Col. Bob Weinstein, USAR-ret.

Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) December 1, 2008

Corporate wellness programs can be realistically implemented without the cost. Lt. Col. Weinstein, author, professional speaker and beach boot camp instructor, just released his new book, Change Made Easy – Your Basic Training Orders to Excellent Physical and Mental Health, published by Advantage Books in Orlando, Florida. His book is a guide to values-based healthy living without all the hype and product promotions. It is designed for corporate wellness programs, youth programs, health and fitness professionals and people who have always or never exercised.

“80 % of American executives feel that corporate America has a responsibility to promote wellness according to a study conducted by the American Management Association.”

“Less than 20 % of U.S. employers offer lifestyle modification services. 4 % offer smoking cessation programs according to a study conducted by the American Journal of Health Promotion.”

Asked about this discrepancy between these studies, Col. Weinstein had this to say, “The health crisis is fueled by a predominant culture of unhealthy living at school, at work, at home and at play. Change the culture and you will solve the health crisis. Corporate wellness programs are paramount to changing the culture.”

Asked how his book will contribute to solving the health crisis and lack of corporate wellness programs, Col. Weinstein replied, “With my book, Change Made Easy, I offer an out-of-the-box corporate wellness solution that can be implemented within a week and bring about results as soon as four weeks.”

His book is excellent as a wellness handbook for individual employees, departments, managers, junior and senior executives.

An emphasis of health insurance as being the solution to our health care crisis is the very cause of 70 to 80 % of the costs for treatments of illnesses and diseases.

“According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 75% of employers’ health care costs and productivity losses are related to employee lifestyle choices. The solution is simple. Change the lifestyle and you will fix the problem.” Yes, it can and must be done. The present economic crisis is an opportunity for every one of us to do some soul searching and make some very fundamental changes about how we lead our lives.

Col. Weinstein’s book cuts straight to the heart of the matter and offers real, cost effective, solutions that are easy to implement:

How to solve the health crisis.
How to implement a corporate wellness program.
How to manage your weight.
How to organize and implement your own fitness boot camp program.
How to exercise with little or no equipment.
How to establish goals and measure performance.
How to eat.
How to enhance performance and productivity.
How to build strong character.
How to have a meaningful spiritual life.

Over 0 billion on medical care was spent on chronic conditions in the year 2000. By 2020, this amount will balloon to over trillion, according to The National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. That’s about the equivalent of one economic bailout per year.

Col. Weinstein’s book, Change Made Easy – Your Basic Training Orders to Excellent Physical and Mental Health, can be ordered as paperback through Advantage Books, Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

Title: Change Made Easy

Author: Lt. Col. Bob Weinstein, USAR-ret.

Publisher: Advantage Books, Orlando, FL, www.advbookstore.com

ISBN: 1-59755-073-6

Genre: Fitness & Health

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 252

Dimensions: 6.69″ x 9.21″

About the author:

Lt. Col. Bob Weinstein, nationally known as The Health Colonel, was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Virginia and spent 20 years in Berlin, Germany. His first name is Joseph and has always been called Bob. He is retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel with 30 years of service and spent about half of that time as a military instructor with the Command & General Staff College.

He has been featured on radio and television, among others, on the History Channel and Fox Sports Net as well as in various publications such as The Washington Times and The Miami Herald.

His background is unique and diverse: military instructor, attorney, motivational speaker, wellness coach, certified corporate trainer, and certified personal trainer. Bob is fluent in German and English.

He specializes in a military-style workout on Fort Lauderdale Beach that incorporates strength, cardio, flexibility and agility training, both personal training and group sessions.

His website: www.TheHealthColonel.com

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