West Burlington signs up for third year employee wellness program

Dec. 19--WEST BURLINGTON -- Each dollar invested by a company in a wellness program gives a return of $3 to $7, according to Great River Medical Center.

West Burlington City Council has invested about $5,000 for the last two years and signed up for a third Wednesday at its regular meeting.

Fifteen city employees -- about half of the city staff -- participated this year and 89 percent improved their cholesterol levels, 80 percent improved their blood pressure, 70 percent reduced their apple shape and 67 percent improved their blood sugar.

The city's wellness program is overseen by Great River Medical Center'sJamie Dengler. She said employees are tested for indicators to spot potential stroke, heart attack and diabetes.

Employees must improve their indicators and participate in health education classes and exercise in order to earn incentive payouts.

They can choose to take paid time off or added pay. No incentives are earned until 60 percent of the program is achieved. The most one could earn was $300 or 12 hours paid time off this year. Dengler said one employee reached the top goal.

City council members agreed to up the incentive payout to a maximum $350 or 16 hours paid time off for next year.

City Administrator Dan Gifford said the program has been well reviewed by participants, and he hopes more employees will join the program.

Dengler modified the program for the third year to include a competitive bingo game, which can be won by choosing among 25 healthy habits to be done daily.

Wellness programs are spreading throughout corporations and local governments because it is less expensive to prevent disease than cure it, which can put a strain on employer-financed health insurance costs. The American Heart Association website states companies pay about $12.7 billion annually for obesity-related medical expenses and $225.8 billion for health-related losses.

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