Employee Health: Companies investing in keeping employees healthy

KUSA*TV -March 4, 2008

Companies investing in keeping employees healthy

By Simone Wilkinson, Reporter

DENVER - With the cost of health care skyrocketing, employers are looking at ways to make cuts where they can.

One idea is to get their employees in shape, to save the company costs in the long run.

Brad Cooper is the CEO of U.S. Corporate Wellness. It is a national company launched in 2007 to get employees off the couch and back on the treadmill. Clients in Denver include Comcast and The Children's Hospital.

"Its not just something that saves your company money. It's something your employees like doing," Cooper said.

Out of 2,400 eligible employees, more than 1,700 at The Children's Hospital have already signed up for the wellness program. Cooper says the reason his program works and others don't is because each person has a wellness coach they are accountable to and everybody has a tailor-made program.

"The real long-term strategy is to make happier, healthier people who can take better care of kids," said Kevin Hamilton with The Children's Hospital.

Findings published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine show employers can save $1.65 in health care expenses for every $1 spent on a comprehensive employee wellness program.

Colleen McEahern says she signed up to save $15 a month on her health insurance. She says the payoff has been much bigger.

"I'm feeling better. I'm sleeping better. I'm more calm at work," she said.

Cooper says the average cost for his program runs between $8 and $20 per employee per month.