Illinois Park District Wellness Program Achieves Culture of Health, Controls Costs, Reduces Claims

Nov. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- Due to soaring insurance premiums and declining coverage, 25 units of Illinois local government formed the PDRMA. Initially this intergovernment cooperative focused on risk management consulting for property, casualty, and workers’ compensation. They initiated the Health Program in 1990.

Out of 157 PDRMA member agencies, 88 have adopted the Health Program, using several Health Enhancement Systems wellness campaigns (http://www.hesonline.com/products) since 2009 — Get Fit on Route 66, Great American Fitness Adventure, and HealthTrails (PDRMA is featured in the company’s Health Promotion Practitioner magazine, September/October 2012 issue.)

Wellness Ambassadors, Shared Responsibility Keys to Success
Each agency appoints a Wellness Ambassador to organize and promote local resources and internal wellness consultants provide team training on creating a wellness culture, launching wellness campaigns, and implementing health risk assessment. “Our goal is to provide a variety of resources agencies can use as they see fit to create their own wellness culture,” explains Leslie Reid (PDRMA Wellness Consultant). “If our healthcare costs increase, members have to pay the price. But if we improve their health, costs go down for everyone. We are truly all in it together.”

An intriguing feature of the PDRMA program is the opportunity for an individual agency to receive a $1000 grant to help implement a wellness initiative. The logistics begin with an application explaining the impact on employee health and how the grant money will be used. A Wellness Advisory Subcommittee reviews each application and votes on the most innovative ideas — also considering how easily the concept could be mirrored by other agencies and if it would have broad appeal to employees.

The Health Program also involves a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) and biometric screening process. Incentives include a $25 gift card to full-time employees, with an extra $275 to those who meet certain health score and participation criteria.

PDRMA voluntary wellness program participation is double the national average, with 60% of employees engaged in some aspect of the program. It serves as a model for similar agencies around the country. "I've seen such great success stories here" notes Lauren Mucker, Wellness Consultant. "PDRMA is committed to helping establish a culture of wellness at all member agencies."

Health Enhancement Systems wellness campaigns support these efforts by challenging participants to build healthy habits. They offer a team atmosphere to support and motivate each individual — with fun themes and easy ways to track progress. “People realize the importance of regular activity and how it increases their energy and performance. It inspires me to see how all the work we put into these programs pays off,” notes Lauren Mucker (Wellness Consultant). “We’ve seen phenomenal changes in key HRA markers as well as in employee satisfaction and engagement with their involvement in these wellness campaigns.”

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Health Enhancement Systems (http://www.hesonline.com) creates employee wellness challenges for organizations in North America and throughout the world. More than 20 effective, engaging HES wellness competitions have been adopted by over a thousand organizations — serving hundreds of thousands of participants successfully.