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Josh Burton, employee health supervisor
and health coach, helps Kootenai Health
employees stay healthy and happy.
Rose Mulcahy
,
nurse case man-
ager, came to
MyHealth to lose
weight and help
build her cardio-
vascular system.
After seeing both
her father and
her sister pass
away from heart disease, Mulcahy decided
to take matters into her own hands.
“When Kootenai decided to offer
discounted rates at PEAK Fitness, I joined
the gym and got a personal trainer,”
Mulcahy said. “The trainer helped me to
work harder than I ever had before and
motivated me to reach my goals.”
While participating in The Biggest Loser
Challenge at PEAK, Mulcahy learned
that she would be reimbursed through
the MyHealth program for reaching her
weight-loss goals.
“Overall I lost 16.2 pounds and 9.4
percent of my body fat,” she said. “But
more than that, I developed an exercise
habit which will help me to stay healthy for
the rest of my life. I’m able to eat healthy
foods and not feel hungry after—and feel
good about my choices.”
“With the support of my family and
MyHealth, I learned that it’s not about be-
ing thin,” she said. “It’s about challenging
yourself. We don’t know how far we can
go without being challenged. This is being
fit at 50.”
co-workers at weekly meetings. Both programs help
employees look at what they’re eating and alter it to fit
a healthier lifestyle by cutting carbohydrates, reducing
calories, and including more protein and fresh vegetables
in their diets. Kootenai has also joined forces with PEAK
Fitness to offer employees discounted memberships.
Another benefit to keeping employees active is giving
them an outlet to relieve stress and boost their mood.
During the summer, MyHealth sponsors a walking se-
ries and step challenges to encourage employees to get
outside during the workday. Employees are also given
the opportunity to attend free yoga classes.
M Y F I N A N C E S
MyHealth also works with employees to relieve stress
through financial counseling. MyFinances is an ongoing
series of financial seminars that are free to employees
and their spouses.
“Finances are something we all want to ignore but we
all worry and stress over,” Burton said. “If we can help
alleviate even a small amount of stress, we’ll have a more
engaged employee.”
S M O K I N G C E S S A T I O N
Many local employers, especially those that are self-
insured, are beginning to reward employees that are
nonsmokers by lowering their insurance costs. Kootenai
decided to take it one step further by also reimbursing
employees for smoking cessation products and services.
“Smokers, like obese people, tend to have longer hos-
pital stays and more frequent health problems,” Burton
said. “Those direct health care costs can really take away
from an employer’s bottom line. Those excess medical
funds could be used more proactively to improve health
rather than trying to recover it after the fact.”
W H A T ’ S N E X T ?
MyHealth is growing and expanding its services for em-
ployees. In the next year, personal health coaches will be
added to help individualsmanage and track their progress.
Also in the works is an option during benefit enroll-
ment that allows employees to have blood work done
so they can see and understand their blood pressure and
cholesterol readings. Know Your Numbers is geared
toward helping employees stay informed about
their current health information.
“So many of us don’t know our basic health
information,” Burton said. “This wellness
profile will inform employees of where they
stand healthwise. Our goal is to have happier,
healthier employees.”
M Y H E A L T H
F O R Y O U R
B U S I N E S S
Many of Kootenai’s ideas can
be implemented or modified
to fit your workplace. To learn
how to incorporate employee
wellness into your business or or-
ganization, contact Josh Burton at
208-666-3053
.
KOO T E NA I
H E A L T H
. OR G
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