Wellness at work

Southern Farm Bureau employees Melissa Lewis (left) of Ridgeland and Beth Haygood of Clinton have become exercise partners.

Area companies are discovering that promoting workers' health will benefit the bottom line.

The programs are also a way for a businesses to contain rising health-care costs. Mississippi is No. 1 in the nation in obesity, diabetes and hypertension - all significant risk factors for heart disease.

Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co. in Jackson launched its Wellness Works program last year. This year, it is using the theme "drop eight in 2008" to encourage employees to spend time losing eight pounds or eight points of cholesterol, eight weeks to quit smoking or any other eight points of health.

Melissa Lewis, a senior executive assistant, already has passed that goal. She walks three miles a day at work on the fifth floor of the building, took part in the Weight Watchers sessions offered and has lost 23 pounds.

"It's just the convenience of it," said Lewis, who emphasizes the ease of walking in an air-conditioned building while at work. "You see a lot more people walking during their breaks. The outside track is a big motivator."

"Blue-collar manufacturers recognized for a long time the importance of (employees) being healthy," said Billy Sims, vice president of human resources at Southern Farm Bureau. "White-collar (companies) have finally awakened to that."

As a result, the company will save money and ensure improved productivity and attendance from employees.

"For every $1 we spend (on wellness), we probably save $3, $5 or $10, but over a period of years we could potentially save millions of dollars because sometimes it's a hidden cost," Sims said, noting that preventing a heart attack or bypass surgery along with hospitalization and drug costs could equate to saving $150,000.

Through its wellness program, Southern Farm Bureau offers its 677 employees a wellness fair; monthly lunch-and-learn sessions; Weight Watchers sessions; two on-site farmer's markets to purchase fruits and vegetables; a cafeteria; discounted membership to a health club; and a one-mile outdoor walking track on site.

Lewis purchased blueberries and cucumbers when the farmers market came. Since participating, she has learned new ways to stay healthy and motivated. Now she drinks more water, practices portion control when eating and is better able to keep up with her energetic 7-year-old son, who loves to play ball.

Health consultant Murray Harber has been the "guiding light" for Southern Farm Bureau's program, Sims said. The company referred to the success of wellness efforts at BankPlus and Blue Cross Blue Shield to create its own.

Wellness programs are part of a trend to view investment in health care as an investment in human capital rather than simply an expense in the general ledger, said Elynn Fish, vice president and director of wellness and healthy living for BankPlus.

BankPlus has saved $3 for each $1 it spent during five years on its wellness program, Fish said. The company launched its wellness program in 2003; it includes educational programs about health and fitness topics and more.

The comprehensive program offers:

# A health risk assessment for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. BankPlus pays for an employee who wants to have the necessary blood work done.

# A preventive physician visit, free biometric screenings at each office and free flu shots for employees.

# The BankPlus Web site, www.bankplus.net, provides a link to information about health issues ranging from diabetes to depression as well as healthy recipes and health-related news.

This year, 100 percent of the 750 BankPlus employees have taken the health risk assessment. Forty-nine percent of tobacco users have quit or are trying to quit. Fifty-five percent of employees are meeting the physical activity levels recommended by the American Heart Association, and 30 percent are meeting goals for healthy eating habits, she said.

Joel Ross, BankPlus president for Rankin County, said the wellness program has made him more conscious of the need to adopt a healthy lifestyle and helps keep him motivated.

Ross adopted the Weight Watchers approach to eating a few months ago and has lost 32 pounds from his 6-foot-tall frame that once held 240 pounds. His wife joined in his weight loss efforts, and she's lost 22 pounds, he said.

"In seven weeks my overall cholesterol dropped from 215 to 132, he said. "My HDL went from 40 to 32 and my LDL from 150 to 84."

Ross said he's learned to eat eat high-fiber, low-fat foods, to read food labels and has gotten used to the idea of taking a walk each day.

At Hunter Douglas in Tupelo, the company has built a walking trail for workers and created a program aimed at improving workers' health at the manufacturing plant.

Bill Hughes, head of human resources at Hunter Douglas, started a program that allows workers to receive up to a $200 reimbursement on their portion of health-care costs. He said 74 percent of the plant's 170 workers participate.

"We had some people who have had some major health issues, and it has caused others to have some wake up calls," Hughes said. The program, which started three years ago, was adjusted for 2008.

Workers are screened at the beginning and end of the year, he said. If they make progress, they will receive the reimbursement.

He said a man recently visited him and thanked him for saving his life. At the health screening, the man learned his artery was 99 percent blocked.

"He went to a health fair on Wednesday, entered the hospital on Friday and was back at work on Monday," Hughes said.

The company has classes during all three shifts on topics such as diet, diabetes and cancer. Hughes said the company, which is self-insured, expects to see a downward trend in health-care costs in three to five years.

The HealthyJackson initiative launched in 2006 to educate people about improving their health and, in turn, lessen the burden of chronic illness. It won the support of the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership.

The Burden of Chronic Disease in Jackson final report showed 23 percent of Jackson residents are smokers, 27 percent are obese and 29 percent do not get any exercise at all. Four of five families have at least one family member with one or more chronic diseases.

The HealthyJackson initiative includes the Web site HealthyJackson.org, which can be used to track diet and exercise goals and learn about health screenings and nutrition and fitness events.

The Clarion-Ledger's GetFitMississippi.com is another option for those in search of fitness tools, information and support.

Jay Moon, president and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, said every dollar spent in preventive care is well worth it because there's a savings of $3.50 in direct health-care costs.

Fish said small businesses shy away from wellness programs because they lack someone to administer them, and data often has to come from third-party providers because of health-care privacy laws. It's not easy to pull employee health-care data together and turn it into something valuable, she said.

The mission of BankPlus' wellness program is to prevent health problems, detect problems as early as possible and effectively manage problems that exist, she said.

"Everything to do with living a healthy lifestyle is so big, and our society clashes with a healthy lifestyle," she said. "We as a company are providing a culture of health that helps employees learn to live a healthy life. It's very realistic implementable things that people can do."

Nell Luter Floyd contributed to this report.
To comment on this story, call Shanderia Posey at (601) 961-7264 or Kevin Richardson at (601) 961-7163.