We are a small company, with some "parts" of a wellness program, looking for ways of expanding program, effectively.  That is, with the goal of improving overall health of work force.   Has anyone had any successes, particularly smaller organizations?

We have partnered with our health insurance provider, Blue Cross, to help us with our wellness program this year.  We held a health fair for our employees and their dependents.  Each employee was offered free screenings for blood glucose, cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure and the men were offered psa screens.  The employees were then given an opportunity for a one-on-one session with a nurse to talk about their test results. There were also booths at the health fair that focused on nutrition, weight loss programs, etc.

Additionally this year we offered smoking cessation classes/workshops for employees.  We have had several lunch and learn sessions focused on nutrition, diabetes management, etc.

Through our health insurance plan, we offer a physical to all insured once a year and pay most of the cost. 

 

 

There are several companies who will assist with organizing low-cost wellness fairs for your employees.  Most local doctors, optometrists, chiropractors, etc... will be more than happy to attend and even give discounts on future services in exchange for the free advertising and one-on-one time with potential customers.  Giving flu shots, while not free, is low cost and your employees will appretiate that as well. Just be sure that you know how many are going to want it in advance and that you get a signed waiver from each employee.

The one we held last November did really well with our employees and we're looking to expand to even more services this year.

I work for a small company too and I have found that local gyms, chiropractors and health food stores love to get involved.    Many of these people offer free lunch and learn sessions, health fairs and company discount programs.

UHC has a good, but small Wellness Program.

We're just starting this year with a free flu shot for employees and family members in our plan.  We also hand out stress balls every once in a while and some of our employees were able to get a group discount at a gym.  You don't have to be large and I do think it's a morale booster!  Plus healthier employees use fewer sick days so your productivity levels should increase. 

Too add, an easy and free way to offer athletic club membership discounts is through Global Fit.  Go to globalfit.com and check out the clubs that your ee's can have access to throughout the US.  This is helpful for both small and large organizations with multi-state locations.

I don't have any good answers, but have similar problems.  We have offered smoking cessation classes with very few participants.  We changed medical benefits to cover annual exam, mamogram, etc.  We still have less than 20 percent participation after three years.  The poor response to these programs has not given any encouragement for expansion into fitness programs.  I'll be watching responses to your question for information I can glean as well.

Our health and wellness fair is well attended, as is our Flu Shot Clinic.  However, employees have not been interested in our other health-related activities, eg., nutrition seminars, smoking cessation, walking club, weight loss, etc.  We purchased videos, cassettes, and books for our library, but there was little interest.

We offer a "Healthier You" program where employees can earn points for developing healthier habits.  They get 10 points for joining the program, 10 points a day for exercising 20 minutes or more, 2 points for drinking six 8 ounce glasses of water a day, 2 points for getting 8 hours of sleep per night, 5 points forf eating 5 fruits and vegetables per day.  We send out weekly calendars with health-related educational tips.  We have different activities throughout the month.  Example:  We did a Healthier You lunch where each person brought a healthy dish and enough recipes of that dish for everyone in attendance.  We have speakers come in and do a Lunch and Learn session.  We did a Healthier You quiz, and they can also get points for giving feedback on ways to improve the program,etc.  We have had good participation. We are going into our third month of the program.  As they accumulate points they earn gifts.  We have a small budget so the gifts are things such as water bottles, pedometers, Fast Food guide books, T-Shirts, etc. 

We also just recently started a wellness program.  We offer a Smoking Cessation program; we have a walking/steps program w/pedometers and water bottles given - monthly drawing for a $25 gas gift card among those who completed the whole month; Lunch & Learn speakers; reduced membership fees to the local Y.  Nothing extravagant in cost but effective so far.

If you don't mind sharing the information...I am curious as to the cost per employee to partner with Blue Cross.  That is who our company has for a carrier, but I have not yet looked into this option?  Was your experience favorable with Blue Cross?

In your message you stated "Each employee was offered free screenings for blood glucose, cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure and the men were offered psa screens."  Who actually paid for the costs of the screening and for the one-on-one session with the nurse to discuss their results?  How much did the screenings cost?