Two Vitality Clients', Baylor College of Medicine and Ericsson, Win 2019 C. Everett Koop Award

CHICAGO, Sept. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Vitality clients were presented today with the 2019 C. Everett Koop National Health Award at HERO Forum 19. Baylor College of Medicine and Ericsson were selected for this prestigious award by The Health Project in recognition for outstanding worksite health promotion and improvement programs with documented results.

"From my personal experience of interacting with the leadership at Baylor and Ericsson, their commitment to the health of their employees is remarkable," said Tal Gilbert, Vitality USA CEO. "It stems from a deep sense of responsibility to safeguard the health of their most valuable asset – their people. While many companies are starting to shift their mindsets from being solely profit driven, Baylor College of Medicine and Ericsson demonstrate what business leadership should look like."

Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a health science university and the goal of its BeWell Wellness Program is to educate, inspire and create a culture of health and well-being. Using analytics provided by Vitality Group, BCM employees significantly improved their overall health since 2014 when the BCM BeWell program was launched. With physical wellness being the most highly utilized aspect of BCM BeWell, the percentage of participants meeting recommended guidelines for physical activity increased by 14.7% and those meeting the guidelines for nutrition increased by 9.7% between 2014 and 2018.

"As a result of the health and well-being improvements and demonstrated financial impact we've realized through our efforts with Vitality, our senior leadership continues to be supportive of the BCM BeWell program," said Dane Friend, Vice President of Human Resources at Baylor College of Medicine. "We are adding enhanced reporting capabilities to identify additional cost savings such as adding pharmacy claims data as part of our ongoing commitment to the health of our employees."

Ericsson
A global networking and telecommunications company, Ericsson offers E-Care, a comprehensive and competitive health and welfare benefits package. Since 2012, E-Health has been backed by the Vitality platform and eligible members use this mobile-enabled program to complete Health Risk Assessments, review biometric results, track physical activity, set and complete goals, and more. In collaboration with Willis Towers Watson, Ericsson developed an integrated multi-year strategic plan for E-Health in 2016.

Ericsson realized key E-Health program participation and engagement metrics in 2018 including 74% of all employees, and 47% of all spouses, registered for the E-Health program and completed at least one E-Health activity. Monthly activities per employee increased from 0.36 in July 2012 to 7.81 in 2018.

"We're making strides toward our goal to create a culture of highly engaged employees," said Toby Todd, Head of Total Rewards North America, Ericsson. "From a value-on-investment perspective, engaged E-Health participants have lower turnover and absence rates, with higher rates of job performance and satisfaction, strengthening our efforts to be the employer of choice."

An annual winner of the C. Everett Koop Award is only selected if an applicant meets the rigorous standards set by The Health Project. Vitality clients have won the award three out of the last four years that a winner was selected and have received an honorable mention when a winner was not selected. In addition to Baylor and Ericsson this year, McKesson was selected in 2015, Lockton Companies received honorable mention in 2014 and Alcon Laboratories won in 2011.

About Vitality Group
Guided by a core purpose of making people healthier, Vitality is the leader in improving health to unlock outcomes that matter. By blending smart tech, data, incentives, and behavioral science, we inspire healthy changes in individuals and organizations. Vitality brings a global perspective through successful partnerships with the smartest insurers and most forward-thinking employers around the world. More than 9 million people in 20 countries engage in the Vitality program. For more information, please visit vitalitygroup.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Vitality Group