TRENTON – A coalition of state health officials, business organizations, and a non-profit foundation launched a statewide wellness campaign today modeled along the lines of a previous initiative, the Mayors Wellness Campaign.
The effort seeks to have 1,000 employers in New Jersey representing 100,000 workers signed up by next summer.
The organizers hope to have that expanded to 10,000 employers and 1 million employees within five years.
The idea is to develop healthier work forces – in particular combating obesity – that lead to reduced costs for businesses.
In the mayors’ campaign, local officials became community health champions, leading by example in terms of weight loss and other lifestyle changes.
The coalition hopes to replicate that in private workplaces.
The project was unveiled today by the state Department of Health, the N.J. Business and Industry Association, the N.J. Chamber of Commerce, the N.J. Health Care Quality Institute, and former Gov. Jim Florio. Walmart is contributing funding to the effort.
Participants will be to access a web site – workplacewellnesscampaign.org – that has already prepared reachable goals regarding nutrition, fitness and other areas.
David Knowlton, head of the Institute and a former deputy Health commissioner in New Jersey, said they were so encouraged by the Mayors campaign – more than two-thirds of N.J. towns participate – that they decided to expand the effort.
Health benefits costs still outpace inflation, and workers pay more of their own costs with higher deductibles and co-pays, he explained, but added that work sites that have physicial health improvement programs have increased productivity by up to 52 percent, and cut costs in some cases up to 50 percent.
“We have ambitious goals for this new initiative. I think this is achievable,’” Knowlton said of the participation goals for next summer and beyond.
Florio, who serves on the Institute board, said “This is a business no-brainer,’’ an example of a public-private partnership that will have far-reaching benefits. Seventy cents of every dollar, he said, goes to fight chronic diseases, and this new campaign is compatible with the mayors campaign and a national campaign to battle chronic disease that he said he and Knowlton were part of.
He and his wife Lucinda will be spokespeople for the campaign.
Phil Kirschner, president of the 22,000-member-company NJBIA, said the cost of health insurance is the biggest single challenge for businesses. “Wellness programs cut down on sick times and lost work days,’’ he said. The campaign will offer employers and employees a way to gain control over problems such as obesity, diabetes, bad eating habits, and more.
“There are almost 200,000 small businesses in our state, and small businesses are typically the ones hit the hardest,’’ he said.
And Tom Bracken, president and CEO of the state Chamber, said that stress is at an all-time high for workers, and the No. 1 contributor to health problems, but that exercise can ease stress. He said as a longtime supporter of wellness efforts, he leads by example of daily workouts.
The program, he believes, will spur “increased productivity, increased morale.”
