Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Role Model for Health

To promote healthy communities, hospitals must lead the way and serve as role models. A recent AHA survey showed that more than 85 percent of hospitals and systems now offer health and wellness programs to employees. Ochsner Health System, a nonprofit, academic system in Louisiana, started a voluntary wellness program with small incentives for its employees in 2005. The health system grew, and by 2009, the corporate wellness department took ownership and now works with an automated program through an outside vendor. This program includes a validated activity that pulls biometrics into a database with an online health and fitness journal. Participating employees receive a pedometer to wear daily, and information from the pedometer is uploaded to the online journal. Employees also are prompted to go to a kiosk once a month to record their blood pressure, weight and body fat, and this information is uploaded. By logging 18,000 "health miles," each employee can earn an insurance premium discount, which is currently about $500 per employee and $2,000 per family. Ochsner?s initiative extends to specifying healthy food choices for its dining areas, catering operations and vending machines. For more information on Ochsner?s program, contact Dorothy Cain, wellness coordinator, at dcain@ochsner.org, or Susan Piglia, director of corporate programs, at spiglia@ochsner.org.