City of Naples employees boast high involvement in wellness program

Aug. 16--The city of Naples is winning awards for employees with good health habits.

Cigna, the health insurance company, selected Naples for one of its annual Cigna Well-being awards for helping employees get healthy through workplace wellness programs.

With approximately 450 employees, the city experiences a 94 percent participation rate in health assessments each year, and it saw a big jump in how many employee are taking part in a walking challenge. The walking challenge had just 9 percent of city workers taking part in 2016 but now stands at more than 38 percent taking part.

"We believe employees should take an active role in their health," Lori McCullers, the city's risk manager, said in a press release. "Healthy employees are happier, more productive and better engaged with their work, which is good for the entire community."

The city offers free biometric screenings and health assessments, fitness incentives and access to a wellness coordinator. It also offers assistance to better manage chronic conditions.

In the fall of 2016, the municipality became a Blue Zones Project worksite for instituting changes for employees to be happier and healthier, including offering ergonomic work stations, having vending machines filled with healthier snacks, hosting fitness demonstrations and having an employee garden.

The city also formed a walking group for employees to take part for exercise and to help people connect with one another outside of the workplace.

The first-place award to the city was one of three presented from Cigna for South Florida clients; second place went to Wellnext, a company in Sunrise on the east coast that develops and markets dietary supplements, and third place went to Ocean Reef Club, a country club in North Key Largo.

There is not a financial benefit to winners of the award; instead there is a plaque for a job well done, a Cigna spokeswoman said.

Common elements for being recognized include high participation in biometric screenings, having a tobacco-free policy, high participation in wellness programs and extending those benefits to spouses.

Studies run the gamut of what impact wellness programs have on employee health, with Cigna saying that $1 invested in wellness equals to $6 in savings in the form of reduced medical claims.

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside; UCLA and Washington University in St. Louis released study findings earlier this month that say worker productivity increases by more than 5 percent when there is high wellness program participation, which is the equivalent of adding one more day of productive work per month.

Almost 90 percent of companies use some form of corporate wellness program. To measure the added benefit of increased productivity, the recent study examined individual productivity and medical data collected over three years at five plants of an industrial laundry plant in the Midwest. The voluntary program was offered to workers at four of the five plants, with offerings of health exams and a follow-up personalized health packet, a consultation with a registered nurse and recommendations for lifestyle changes.

The researchers found that sick employees whose health improved during the program averaged a productivity boost of 11 percent, and healthy employees who saw their health improve averaged a productivity boost of 10 percent. Healthy employees whose health did not improve saw their productivity climb 6 percent. Lastly, sick employees who stayed sick experienced no productivity boost.

"By showing concern for workers, organizations can strengthen employees' loyalty and commitment to the company," said Timothy Gubler, the study author and assistant professor at the University of California, Riverside. "When workers discover unknown health problems through the program, they may feel increased gratitude toward their employer and reciprocate that by increasing their efforts."

The Blue Zones project is a wellness and longevity initiative underway in Southwest Florida where businesses, government agencies, restaurants, grocery stores, churches, residential communities and other groups incorporate healthier options in daily practices so people can make better choices

The philosophy is that over time, healthier choices will become the easier choice, and each incremental step can improve health and well-being. Offering fresh fruit and bottled water instead of soft drinks and candy bars in employee break rooms is one example.

Southwest Florida is one of 37 communities nationwide that is either working toward recognition as a Blue Zones community or has achieved it by widespread adoption of the underlying principles.

The Blue Zones Project was introduced to the region in 2015 based on the world travels of Dan Buettner, who identified communities worldwide where people share lifestyle traits and live to 100 or older. He wrote a New York Times best-seller about the nine principles of longevity.

The "Power Nine" include moving naturally by being physically active, eating a plant-slant diet, knowing your purpose in life, taking time to relax, having a healthy social network and putting loved ones first. A popular activity is to form walking groups, or walking moais, to use Blue Zones terminology.

To be recognized by the Blue Zones, a business, civic organization, residential community and the like must embrace principles of the project to make healthy changes in daily practices and offer healthier alternatives for employees, clients, or members. The NCH Healthcare System in Collier County introduced the project to the community.

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