Healthy care, healthy workers
BY SUSAN ERLER
serler@nwitimes.com
219.548.4349 | Thursday, June 14, 2007
Stella Feeney's job calls for her to track medical test results for patients at St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers in Hammond.
To improve her own health score, Feeney, 58, of Hammond, reformatted her lunch break last year to include visits to the in-house employee fitness center.
For most of the winter, "I worked out every day," said Feeney, a 17-year employee, who in warmer months switched to walking outdoors.
Having the fitness center close by was the push she needed, Feeney said. "It makes it much easier."
The fitness center is one of several ways employees are encouraged to stay healthy by St. Margaret Mercy parent, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc., which has hospitals throughout Northwest Indiana and in Illinois.
Promoting employee wellness was a natural outgrowth of the hospital system's mission, spokesman Doug Jontz said.
Health care "is what we provide the community, and that's what we want to do for our own employees," he said.
Employee wellness provisions range from a health maintenance program, in which employees track their own progress, and discounted health club memberships to programs for workers with major health issues and chronic diseases.
"Every program is 100 percent voluntary," Jontz said.
Workers who take part are eligible for a $20 monthly discount on the cost of their health care coverage.
Participation rates have been high, with close to 75 percent of eligible employees enrolled in the basic wellness program at St. Margaret Mercy campuses in Dyer and Hammond, Jontz said.
About 92 percent of eligible employees take part in the chronic disease management program at the combined campuses, Jontz said.
Employee health has come under increased scrutiny at other area hospitals, as well.
Workers in the Community Healthcare System, with hospitals in Munster, East Chicago and Hobart, earn points all year for regular doctor visits, blood-pressure checks, exercise and healthy eating, wellness coordinator Andrea Newton said.
Prizes for participating range from pedometers and T-shirts to, in one case, a Blackberry.
The program was rolled out in 2005 and by last year had added work place Weight Watchers meetings.
Managed Care Director James Hilburger signed on right away, wanting to shed weight he'd put on over 33 years.
"My wife's a good cook," he said.
Hilburger lost 70 pounds over eight months. "I was able to get into the suit I was married in," said Hilburger, who supplements the Weight Watchers program with a regular walking regime in his Chicago neighborhood.
Overall, about 500 of the Community hospital system's nearly 5,000 employees take part, said Newton, who added, "Ultimately, we'd like to encourage more to get involved."
At the Methodist Hospitals, with campuses in Gary and Merrillville, "it's not just limited to exercise," Human Resources Director Rosalyn Whitfield said.
Annual health screenings are available. "Any high-risk areas are encouraged to follow up with physicians," Whitfield said.
Methodist Hospitals recently redirected its focus after participation rates dwindled in in-house fitness programs, Whitfield said.
Memberships in outside health clubs, with 24-hour availability, are being considered, Whitfield said.
The health care industry has grown increasingly focused on its employees' health, said Gene Diamond, regional CEO of the Sisters of St. Francis system of St. Anthony, St. Margaret Mercy and St. James hospitals locally.
People are more aware of how behaviors such as smoking and drinking affect health.
"The link has become more and more clear," Diamond said. "We've begun to embrace the policy of inviting our employees to adopt some lifestyle changes. We're seeing the long-term benefits."
Though not able to make a direct link, Sisters of St. Francis believes its wellness programs are making an impact, Diamond said.
"Whether it's fewer episodes of illness, fewer lost days or people hospitalized for less than a day, we feel comfortable what we're doing is right," he said.
For now, employee participation in wellness programs remains voluntary in most work places, but that could eventually change.
"If you accept the fact that health care costs are going to continue to rise and take a bigger and bigger bite in what employers, and employees, pay, it's foreseeable there's going to come a time when there's going to be a tightening of expectations and requirements," Diamond said.
"We think we are making progress with the positive incentives we're offering. Employees really appreciate this and see the benefits," he said.
"As long as that continues, we will continue to use positive incentives," Diamond said. "It's hard to say what the future will bring."
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