Release Details

United Regional Launches Employee Wellness Initiative

Tuesday Mar. 24, 2009

Wichita Falls, Texas, March 23, 2009 – In February 2009, United Regional launched a wellness initiative dedicated to helping employees improve and maintain their health. “We value our employees and are committed to making investments not only in their professional growth, but also in their personal well-being,” states Phyllis Cowling, president and CEO. Companies wanting to attract and keep a dedicated and productive workforce have traditionally committed resources to continuing education and medical and retirement benefits. Since health issues also impact overall job performance and productivity, more and more businesses understand the value of offering health promotion programs to help employees identify and manage their personal health risks to avoid preventable diseases.
 
United Regional selected SimplyWell to administer its wellness program. “We evaluated several companies, but chose SimplyWell,” comments Kristi Faulkner, director of human resources. “Their educational tools and coaching are customized to the individual employee’s needs and address not only the participant’s primary health issues, but also associated future health risks,” Ms. Faulkner states further. 
 
Employees participating in the wellness initiative were required to complete lab and blood pressure screenings, height and weight information, and an on-line health questionnaire that included past medical history, medications, family history, lifestyle and risk factors. To encourage participation, employees were offered a $10.00 per month discount on their health insurance premium for the 2009 benefit year. United Regional is proud to announce that out of 1824 employees, 1130 are participating in the program. 
 
Employees receive the confidential results of the tests and are encouraged to share the comprehensive written report with their personal physicians. The wellness program is not meant to replace physician-directed annual physicals and follow-up care. Rather, the wellness initiative should reinforce physician recommendations for needed lifestyle changes by the employee to improve their health. SimplyWell gives employees the tools to create a self-directed wellness plan to help them change personal health risks through preventive care and individual accountability. 
 

United Regional does not receive any individual employee’s health information from SimplyWell.  Only aggregate information regarding the number of employees in each health risk category, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, nicotine use, etc., is provided. United Regional will use this information to track the effectiveness of the program from year to year and to measure the success of health-related programs it provides to support the wellness initiative.