Worksite Wellness

Healthy Meetings for a Healthy You

By |2017-05-11T11:23:00-07:00May 11th, 2017|Prevention|

Workplaces can either help or hurt our efforts to eat well, be active, and improve our health. Here at the Arizona Department of Health Services, we are taking a step forward to make it easier to include healthier options and physical activity in our meetings with a new department-wide Healthy Meeting Policy and a Healthy [...]

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Childhood Obesity: Turning the Tide?

By |2017-02-10T09:50:12-07:00August 15th, 2013|Prevention|

We finally got some better news from the childhood obesity public health front this week.  Tuesday’s CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that childhood obesity rates are stabilizing or decreasing slightly across the country.  In fact, 19 states had a significant downward trend in obesity prevalence among low-income preschoolers.  There was no change in [...]

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Employee Wellness Standards Locked In

By |2017-02-10T09:50:22-07:00June 11th, 2013|Affordable Care Act, General|

The Fed’s issued their final regulations for worksite wellness programs under the Affordable Care Act this week.  The final rules are designed to incentivize workplaces to develop and execute health promotion programs.  The goal is to improve health and wellness among workers and to limit growth of health care costs moving forward.  The regulations outline [...]

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Smokers Cost Employers $6K More

By |2017-02-10T09:50:22-07:00June 10th, 2013|Affordable Care Act, Prevention|

A new Ohio State University study found smokers cost businesses about $6,000 more than nonsmokers every year.  The researchers used the cost of increased absenteeism, lost productivity, smoke breaks and health care  to reach the $6K/year figure – not surprisingly, smoke breaks account for the biggest share of the cost.  More and more businesses are creating stronger worksite wellness programs.  Arizona, for example, has [...]

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New Affordable Care Act Proposed Rules Released

By |2012-11-23T13:27:57-07:00November 23rd, 2012|Affordable Care Act|

The US Dept. of Health & Human Services released 3 new Affordable Care Act proposed regulations this week…  including: 1) A proposed Rule regarding coverage requirements for pre-existing or chronic conditions; 2) A proposed Rule outlining policies and standards for coverage of essential health benefits; and 3) A proposed Rule implementing and expanding employment-based wellness [...]

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Worksites are a Public Health Lever

By |2017-02-10T09:50:51-07:00November 14th, 2012|Prevention|

In September I blogged about how we and Maricopa County Public Health entered into a partnership with the Arizona Small Business Association and Viridian Health Management to train Arizona employers on the implementation of worksite wellness.  I’m happy to share with you that the Healthy Arizona Worksites program has launched.   The purpose of the Healthy [...]

Worksite Wellness- a Critical Public Health Lever

By |2017-02-10T09:50:59-07:00September 21st, 2012|Affordable Care Act, Prevention|

Chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes cause 70% of deaths in the US these days… absorbing 75% of the $2.5T spent on annual medical care costs.  When it comes to employee healthcare expenses- the indirect costs of poor health like absenteeism, disability, and reduced work output can be several times higher than direct medical [...]

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Implementing Our Strategic Plan- Promote Physical Activity & Nutrition

By |2017-02-10T09:51:13-07:00April 23rd, 2012|Prevention|

Our Public Health Prevention folks launched an exciting new initiative to improve health outcomes for Arizonans this month called the Arizona Population Health Policy Initiative.  This new partnership (with Arizona’s local county health departments) is focused on achieving targeted improvements in health outcomes for Arizonans by advancing evidence-based strategies which address community design, school health, [...]

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Prevention and County Health

By |2012-01-05T10:44:28-07:00January 5th, 2012|Prevention|

Our prevention and county health folks will be spending more time working to help counties, schools, and communities to adopt policies that will reduce obesity, chronic disease and disparities.  One area of focus will be Border Health where the objectives include reducing motor vehicle accidents and substance abuse.  There will also be more going on [...]

Do Yourself A Favor in 2012

By |2017-02-10T09:51:21-07:00January 4th, 2012|General, Prevention|

Life is a precious gift.  None of us knows long our gift will last, so it’s important to make the most of every day.  That means doing everything you can to stay healthy by eating well and exercising regularly.  A lot of folks will say – I’m stuck with my health because of my genes, [...]

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