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Results Prove that Disease Prevention Makes
For release: Immediately
Date: April 19, 2006
Contact: Peg Aschwege, 402-481-8784
Number: 06-10
Everyone knows that a healthy lifestyle makes you look and feel better, but it can also be good for business. Employers everywhere are becoming more aware that obesity, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are adversely affecting the health and productivity of their employees and ultimately, their bottom line. Employers are responding by offering an innovative work site health promotion program called INTERxVENT that provides mentor support to employees with proven results.
In Lincoln and the surrounding communities, BryanLGH Medical Center has worked with several local businesses to bring INTERxVENT to their employees in the workplace. INTERxVENT is a scientifically-based, physician developed and endorsed program that helps people improve their health and reduce their risk for disease through exercise, weight management, stress management and smoking cessation. It is a national program implemented through various healthcare facilities across the United States for over ten years. BryanLGH is the only place in Nebraska to offer this well established, results program.
BryanLGH has experienced first hand the positive outcomes INTERxVENT has to offer. 256 BryanLGH employees enrolled in INTERxVENT showed significant reduction in risk factors such as weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose after 18 months in the program. These risk factors, left unchecked, can lead to stroke, heart attack, diabetes and other serious illness that cost the employer and the employee valuable time and money in prescriptions, doctor visits and missed work.
By the end of the 18-month period, participants with elevated systolic blood pressure had an average reduction of 18 mm Hg. Participants with elevated diastolic blood pressure had an average reduction of 10 mm Hg. The average cholesterol dropped by 33 mg/dL. By the end of the 18 month study, there were 83% less people with elevated blood glucose levels with an average reduction of 12 mg/dL.
Businesses who want to take a leadership role in their employee’s health can look to BryanLGH for help. Experienced health professionals will mentor participants through the entire program. The mentors provide custom health assessments and action plans to meet each person’s wellness needs, wants and challenges. Then, through structured appointments, the mentors provide knowledge and coaching every step of the way to help them stay with their programs.
“It’s amazing how a company-wide commitment to improving health and wellness can inspire individual employees,” says Karen Rehm, health promotion coordinator and INTERxVENT mentor. “And when employees have the support they need to make changes, research shows very tangible results through reduced sick days, prescription drug costs and other health expenses.”
To learn more about bringing INTERxVENT to your business, call BryanLGH Medical Center at 402-481-3858.
Editor’s Note: For personal interviews with local businesses using INTERxVENT in their workplace, contact Peg Aschwege, representative of BryanLGH Public Relations, 402-481-8674.
