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Savings
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Businesses Find Financial Advantages On The Road To Wellness
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What do you think of when you think of wellness? This word can conjure up all kinds of thoughts --from a fitness center membership to health fairs. In truth, wellness can be viewed along a health promotion continuum. Many corporations have some experience with offering wellness services to their employees, but there is very little understanding about what a comprehensive program consists of and what benefits it can provide to employees and to the corporation. Over the last ten years, there has been a growing body of evidence proving that wellness services lower medical costs.
Many deaths result from risk factors that are preventable through adjustment in individual health style. The most effective interventions available for reducing the incidence and severity of the leading causes of disease and disability in the United States are those that address the personal health practices of the individual.
The average company has only about fifteen percent of risk free employees. An attainable goal is to have forty-three percent risk free employees.
As you can see from the charts attached with this article, reduction in risk factors is possible. This suggests that even when participants did not reduce their risks, the program they participated in may have helped them to make better choices as health care consumers.
Thinking wellness is beneficial to your employees because they will have a longer, healthier life, which also becomes beneficial in reducing a corporation's medical claims. There are very few things available today that can be identified as a win-win situation, and wellness is one of them.
A comprehensive health promotion program is the way to ensure success!
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Preventable deaths per year consist of the following:
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Smoking
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400,000
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High cholesterol
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253,194
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Inactivity
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205,254
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Obesity
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190,456
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High Blood Pressure
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171,121
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Alcohol
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100,000
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Microbial Agents
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85,000
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Suicide & Homicide
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50,000
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Diabetes
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40,000
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AIDS
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29,850
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Motor Vehicle Accidents
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24,000
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Illicit Drugs
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18,000
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Key Components of an Effective Wellness Program
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1. Wellness Assessment
2. Personal Evaluation & Goal Setting
3. Health Actions & Interventions
4. Monitoring Progress/Provide Feedback
5. Outcomes Measurement
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The data and charts above are based on information compiled by Wellsource®.Visit them at WWW.WELLSOURCE.COM
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