Obesity Wake-up Call: Chattanooga Area Employers Make Health An Incentive

A recent Hamilton County Health Department report found the community wastes over $300 million a year on health care, worker's comp, and lost productivity costs associated with obesity.

Now, some companies aim to cut those costs by getting employees healthy.

Many people cite "time" as the main reason they don't keep fit.  What if instead of taking a coffee break at work, you could take an exercise break?

"The Simpsons" continue to provide social commentary today, but could its creators have know this power plant corporate exercise program actually exists to some extent in the Tennessee Valley?

"There are 36 different fitness facilities at our corporate, nuclear, hydro and fossil plants," says Sonja Gillespie, TVA's Livewell Manager.

TVA LivewellThere's nothing funny about the benefits of TVA's Livewell.  Aside from dozens of fitness centers available to employees during lunch or before and after work, employees undergoing a voluntary health check analysis, similar to a physical, earn rewards for good health.

Gillespie says "depending on how they score, they earn points and the higher their points they can earn up to a $200 benefit credit to offset their insurance premiums."

Blue Cross Blue Shield started its own wellness program last year, choosing to battle increasing health care expenses with additional benefits.  Susan Parrott, Total Rewards Consultant, says "they can receive incentives for holding a gym membership, participating in a weight management program, smoking cessation classes and Gordian get healthy program."

About half of Blue Cross' employees participate.  Debbie Hixson says after she completes smoking cessation classes, she'll try another offering.  "I want to do the weight watchers, I believe that would be good, the next good thing for me," says Hixson.

Joining the private sector, you'll find public entities, like Hamilton County's Health Department.  Cathy Cowart, Health Promotion Program Manager, says "our true challenge is to get the employees who didn't use the stairs to start using the stairs, who made not so good lunch choices to make better lunch choices."

To encourage those small decisions with big impacts, the department dressed up stairwells with artwork from local children, placed better options in their vending machines, and created a small employee fitness area, with an exercise program.

The idea behind that program, "Fit in Ten?"  Provide health department employees a place to exercise for 10 minutes, several times a day.  Employees committing to the ten-week program receive exercise breaks, but they must sign-in and use a treadmill twice a day, and bicycle once.

Allison Harr, Public Health Educator, says "I think it's a lot easier, if you can take a few minutes out of your day to come up here and have the availability of the equipment to workout."

Health Department administrators hope by practicing what they preach, they'll provide a good example to other county departments.

Wednesday at 6:00, our series on obesity continues as we explore how kids can get a workout, without knowing it.  And several new games encourage them to get off the couch to play.