Wellness Program Provides Return on Investment for Eastman Chemical Company

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The HealthFitness wellness program offered to Eastman Chemical Company employees helped reduce Eastman employees' health risks and lower their medical claims, resulting in a 3.2 return on investment for every dollar spent on core wellness program components. Eastman partners with HealthFitness to provide an integrated wellness program, including health risk assessments, biometric screenings, fitness management, lifestyle behavior programs, health awareness programs, face-to-face health coaching, and more.

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The wellness program incorporates targeted incentives and creative communication to encourage employee engagement. In 2009, 89 percent of the employees completed a health risk assessment, which is a key component of the company's health strategy. "We have relatively low turnover, about 2 percent, so we have a vested interest in the health and productivity of our workforce," explains David Sensibaugh, director of integrated health at Eastman. "We have made significant improvements in reducing health risks around physical activity, tobacco, diabetes, blood glucose, cholesterol and hypertension."

The company strives to educate employees about health care costs, while working to instill a greater sense of personal accountability. "Eastman has worked hard to provide a corporate culture of health for its employees," explained Gregg O. Lehman, CEO of HealthFitness. "Wellness programs engage employees and provide them with long-term health education strategies that can be incorporated into their daily lives for years to come."

To see the issue brief from Eastman Chemical Company, go to "Eastman Chemical Company: Demonstrating ROI with Employee Health" at http://hfit.com/brief-reg.cfm?IB=18

About HealthFitness

HealthFitness, a subsidiary of Trustmark Companies, is an award-winning provider of integrated health promotion and fitness management solutions to Fortune 500 companies, the health care industry and individual consumers. With 30-plus years of experience, HealthFitness partners with employers to effectively manage health care and productivity costs by improving individual health and well-being. HealthFitness provides a portfolio of solutions, including best-in-class integration, INSIGHT® Health Risk Assessments, screenings, EMPOWERED™ Health Coaching and fitness facility design and management. For more information on HealthFitness, visit www.hfit.com.

SOURCE HealthFitness