Wellness Consultation is a Helpful Company Asset

ALLENTOWN, Pa., April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- When companies need assistance with team building, leadership, or strategy they hire business consultants. Wellness consultants provide the same value and assistance when developing a company wellness program. BeneFIT, a corporate wellness program offered by Valley Preferred, a preferred provider organization based in Allentown, Pa. has such expertise - BeneFIT Consultation Package, which includes the award-winning BeneFIT Toolkit.

According to Carol Noel Michaels, MPH, MCHES, Manager, Health Education and Wellness, Valley Preferred-BeneFIT, the BeneFIT Consultation Package is an affordable entry-point plan that combines the hands-on expertise of their BeneFIT team with comprehensive tools that can be implemented by a company's in-house personnel. "Valley Preferred's Certified Health Education Specialists lead the way by working directly with an employer's team to get the company's wellness program custom-designed and underway. Our award-winning BeneFIT Toolkit then stays with the employer, providing the step-by-step guidance and resources the in-house team needs to keep the wellness program growing strong." 

An eastern Pennsylvania bank obtained the wellness consultation services of Valley Preferred-BeneFIT and their BeneFIT Toolkit nearly 18 months ago and is experiencing great progress in boosting employee wellness.

"Our employees are our number one asset," says Julie Sheehan, Benefits Specialist for Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania, a regional bank based in Souderton, Pa. with 610 employees.  "The success of our business depends upon them.  Naturally, we want to keep each of our employees as healthy as possible."

"BeneFIT has absolutely proven to be a wellness partner that works for the health of our employees," Sheehan says.  "The consultation support of their health educators has helped me plan and implement an overall strategic vision of wellness at Univest."

"Our employees visit health screening centers set up at our company health fairs and have multiple tests done at one event," says Sheehan.  "It's a convenient way to provide meaningful guidance from clinical experts on what each employee's screening numbers mean and guide them toward wellness resources available to make behavioral changes leading to healthier lifestyles."

Prior to connecting with Valley Preferred's BeneFIT experts, "there was no programmatic plan to drive wellness," Sheehan notes.  "But when Univest switched to a self-funded health plan, the need for a strategic employee wellness plan with an emphasis on preventive health became imperative.  I started working with BeneFIT's wellness experts, saw positive results and have been doing so ever since."

Univest's successful wellness strategy now includes regular consultation sessions with a BeneFIT health educator and the BeneFIT Toolkit. According to Sheehan, the Toolkit provides "step-by-step guidance and resources that our in-house team uses to keep our program growing between wellness planning sessions with our BeneFIT health educator."

About Valley Preferred
Now in its 20th year of service, Valley Preferred is a provider-owned, preferred provider organization aligned with Lehigh Valley Health Network and dedicated to Achieving Clinical Excellence (SM) through the development and implementation of innovative programs to improve health care delivery and value in the community. Among these is BeneFIT^SM, Valley Preferred's corporate wellness program, provided to employers to promote healthier lifestyles for company employees and a culture of wellness in the workplace. This includes providing a wellness assessment, health workshops and seminars, tobacco cessation resources, corporate health fairs and screenings, and disease management programs. Valley Preferred also offers BeneFIT consultation and the BeneFIT Toolkit, which is a step-by-step guide designed to assist companies with improving employee wellness. For more information, visit www.valleypreferred.com.

SOURCE Valley Preferred