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It’s All About MyHealth
EMPLOYEE HEALTH
FACES OF MYHEALTH
obese people. Researchers found that obese employees
had 20 percent more doctor visits than employees who
were overweight or had a healthy weight, and their rate
of presenteeism was 12 percent higher.
H E A L T H Y G O A L S
The MyHealth program is not about making employ-
ees feel bad about themselves or alienating those who
are overweight. It’s about making sure employees who
want to improve their health have every opportunity
to do so. To help promote employee wellness and offset
unwanted health care costs, Kootenai Health decided
to be proactive and created incentive programs to get
employees moving.
“We now have several initiatives in place to help our
employees achieve their goals, whether it’s fitness or
otherwise,” Burton said. “It’s easy for employers to host
programs like a summer walking series with a raffle prize
or lottery tickets as an incentive to participate. It doesn’t
cost a lot to motivate employees.”
Kootenai’s MyHealth programs help employees reach
weight loss and fitness goals and promotes physical activ-
ity and healthy eating. Programs like Weight Watchers
At Work and the LiveWell program help hold employ-
ees accountable and allow them to gain support from
Julie Hoerner
,
director, emer-
gency services,
participated in
the LiveWell
program, which
consisted of
12 Kootenai
Health employees
that committed
themselves to a high-protein, low-carb
diet to lose weight.
“I have struggled with my weight for
most of my adult life,” Hoerner said. “After
being diagnosed and undergoing treat-
ment for breast cancer, I realized I needed
to make a change—and I was ready to
do it.”
The program is challenging, allowing
participants only a minimal amount of
carbohydrates per day. Julie has lost
over 40 pounds with the support of her
co-workers and family.
“The hardest thing is making the choice
to not eat something that I may really
want,” she said. “But the best part has
been the group support and knowing that
my co-workers, family and my employer
are supporting my efforts.
“Knowing that my employer is support-
ing me financially is motivating. I don’t
know if I could have had this success
without MyHealth.”
K O O T E N A I H E A L T H ’ S E M P L O Y E E W E L L N E S S P R O G R A M
I S G R O W I N G Q U I C K L Y A N D G A I N I N G M O M E N T U M
BEING HEALTHY IS IMPORTANT. MOST OF US
try to eat right and exercise for our own good and for
our family. A few years ago, Kootenai Health asked this
question: How does having healthy employees affect
a business? Now, thanks to Kootenai’s self-developed
MyHealth program, we know exactly what having
healthy employees means to an organization.
“Having healthier employees is very important,” said
Josh Burton, R.N., employee health supervisor and senior
health coach. “Those employees that are healthier overall
are more productive.”
Many studies show that employees who are struggling
with their health or finances are much less productive at
work. While they are physically at work, these employ-
ees are unable to focus and their mind may wander to
personal issues. This is called presenteeism. Employees
who generally are more active, eat better and are less
stressed have lower rates of presenteeism. They are able
to focus on their job and are measurably more productive
while on the clock.
A 2010 analysis by the National Institutes of Health
studied over 10,000 employees in multiple professions
and work sites across the U.S. Researchers were able to
quantify the direct (medical expenditures) and indirect
(productivity) cost burden of employing overweight and
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