ESTABLISHING A LOCAL GOVERNMENT WELLNESS PROGRAM [PM. Public Management]

When employees are healthy and more productive, your organization thrives

Are you where you want and need to be when it comes to driving and promoting good health among your employees? We've put together this guide to help you do just that.

With a significant increase in workplace wellness programs around the country, many individuals are making healthy lifestyle changes. Now you can put together a wellness program for your local government to help employees get and stay healthy.

The Value to Employees

These health statistics might be of interest:

* The average age and disease burden of employees is higher in government than in other industries. The average age is 42.5 years, which is seven years older than other industries. Also, approximately 10 percent more individuals in government positions have a chronic condition compared to other industries.1

* Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes are the most common chronic conditions in the government industry.1

The Good News

Up to 70 percent of health care costs are the result of personal lifestyle choices, which means a number of these conditions can be prevented or more effectively managed with the right education, support, and programs.2

When you consider the important role local governments play in society, keeping those who interact with community residents in good health truly matters - not just for the organization, but for the future of the community. A well-developed wellness program provides individuals with an integrated approach to improving their health, creates an environment that reduces exposure to health threats, and incorporates health promotion into the culture of the municipal government.

Here are four strategies to implementing a wellness program for your local government.

1. LAY THE FOUNDATION

Get the support of senior leaders. Talk to key individuals, which can include elected officials, human resource and benefits department employees, stakeholders, and bargaining entities. Learn the issues that most concern your community's leadership (e.g., health care costs, absenteeism, turnover, disability claims) .

Determine core beliefs. Hold a core beliefs session to help define guiding principles on health benefits. Set expectations of health benefits, wellness promotion, incentives, indoor and outdoor group activities, and so on.

Consider your environment. The geographic and socioeconomic characteristics of your locality also are important considerations.

Establish a wellness committee. Recruit representatives from all areas and levels of your organization. Choose people with a variety of skills such as event organizers, motivators, data analysts, and writers.

Conduct a needs assessment to guide your efforts. A key characteristic of successful wellness programs is that they are set up thoughtfully and logically, with a focus on collecting measurable data to determine health improvement opportunities based on what your employees might need and want. Examples include health assessment, health screening data, and medical/ health care claims.

2. PLAN FOR SUCCESS

Develop an operating plan. This plan will set measurable goals and objectives that can quantify a program's success, including program goals, specific objectives, implementation strategy, timelines and persons responsible, methods of communication and promotion, budget, and evaluation plan

* Choose appropriate activities. Numerous activities are appropriate for a local government wellness program. Consider the environment and culture. The wellness committee may find that multiple channels will help it reach the most employees.

* Boost participation. Promote employee participation with these strategies:

* Get the active, public support of managers at all levels.

* Implement a strategic incentive program.

* Use multiple means of communication and repeat the message often.

3. Build a Culture of Wellness

It's key that leadership at all levels: Proclaim that health is an important value and responsibility for the local government and its staff.

* Be accountable for facilitating a healthy work setting and rewarded for their success.

* Establish policies that support healthy practices, which can be implemented and enforced.

* Provide exercise opportunities during breaks, before and after work, including lunchtime walking or running groups and access to public gym facilities.

4. Evaluate the Program,

A sign of a successful wellness program is its ability to adjust to the changing needs of the target audience. An evaluation period enables the wellness committee to:

* Analyze which methods were the most or least successful.

* Determine the most effective way to use resources, reach more people, and measure the program's impact on health and health care spending.

* Continue to consider new opportunities to get the entire local government engaged in the culture of well-being.

VISIT THE WELL AT WWW. CIGNA.COM/SITES/HEALTHPROMOTION/ INDEX.HTML FOR ADDITIONAL TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR BUILDING A CULTURE OF WELL-BEING.

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Cigna is an ICMA Strategic Partner.

ENDNOTES

1 Cigna's Book of Business Data 201 2.

2 Whitmer, R.W., Pelletier, K.R., Anderson, D.R., Baasem CM., Frost, C.J. (2003) A Wake Up to Corporate America. J Occup Environ Med. 45(9): 916-25.

CHRISTINA STASI UK, PH.D.

Senior Medical Director

Cigna

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kathryn.Army@Cigna.com