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Wellness In The Workplace
November 2008
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Getting ready for the holidays

If you haven't clicked on and downloaded the complimentary Holiday Poster yet, please do, and let us know if you would like a pdf file sent to you personalized with your logo. There's no charge, and you can print and distribute as many as you wish.

And be sure to check in on our LoneStart Blog often (or add to your RSS Feeds) -- every few days we'll be posting a couple of "holiday tips" to help you and your employees enjoy the season in "good health," and start 2009 in even better health.

USofObesity
November is American Diabetes Month

A look at what Diabesity means in the workplace

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease which, through its complications, has a serious impact on the quality of life of individuals and their families through premature illness and death. Diabetes is closely related to obesity and overweight which now affects more than 65 percent of the workforce, meaning it has a major effect on both individual and national productivity. It is also largely preventable.

In 2000, Shape Up America! launched a Diabesity initiative to raise awareness of the growing prevalence of obesity and diabetes in America. The first Shape Up America! national conference on the topic, held in Arlington, Virginia in 2001, addressed the factors contributing to the increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes among people of all ages, including children. Now, seven years later, here's where things stand.

  • Each day in the United States, there are 4,100 new diabetes cases and 810 deaths from the disease. Also every day, about 230 diabetes patients suffer amputations, 120 suffer kidney failure and 55 go blind. (Dr. Robert E. Ratner of the MedStar Research Institute in Washington)
  • Over 80% of people with diabetes are overweight or obese. (CDC)
  • Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. (CDC)
  • The incidence of diabetes has increased by 6 percent annually for the past decade. (American Diabetes Association)
  • Direct and indirect costs of type 2 diabetes are estimated at $100 billion annually. Overall, medical costs of people with diabetes are more than four times those of people without diabetes or other chronic conditions. (CDC)
  • Annually, an employee with diabetes will cost $13, 243 on average, while an employee without diabetes costs only $2,560 on average. (Diabetes America)
  • A weight gain of 11 to 18 pounds increases a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes to twice that of individuals who have not gained weight. (CDC)
  • Among the controllable risk factors for Type 2 diabetes are obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels and physical inactivity. (NIDDK)

Uncontrolled or poorly managed diabetes can result in avoidable emergency room visits and inpatient stays, both of which are high-cost care episodes for employers. In addition to the medical costs, diabetes also increases absenteeism and presenteeism (impaired while at work) rates in excess of those of other, healthier employees. Research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows a total 6.4 days of absenteeism and 7.3 days of presenteeism -- nearly 3 work weeks per diabetic per year in lost productivity.

We don't make the claim that implementing the LoneStart Wellness Initiative in your workplace will eliminate -- or even control type 2 diabetes. But we know it helps. And if it helps your employees, their families, and your organization's productivity and profitability, it's a start. Here's what one LoneStart participant has to say:

I personally have been a diabetic since I was 24 years old. My Hemoglobin AIc prior to the LoneStart Challenge was at 6.7, and after the 63-day Challenge, it was down to 5.9. My doctor was pleasantly surprised and very pleased with the changes in my daily routine. My blood sugar the start date of the challenge was RBS - 203 mg/dl, and by the end of the challenge, my blood sugar was 122 mg/dl. My entire team's diastolic blood pressure dropped more than 10 points for each of us. As health care professionals we are so busy taking care of our patients, their families, and our own families and friends that we put ourselves last. This program has made us put ourselves first and by doing this it may have just saved one of our lives.

~ Pat Garcez, RN, Otto Kaiser Memorial Hospital, Kenedy, TX
Nacogdoches Team
Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital Completes Successful LoneStart Team Esteem Wellness Challenge

The Winning Team. Together (L to R) Tony Weatherford, David Jackson and Roger Rice, night shift ICU nurses, lost an average of 10.7 percent BMI. Roger Rice, individual winner, lost 16.5 percent.

On July 9th and 10th Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital, in the pineywoods of east Texas challenged its employees to take the 63-day LoneStart Team Esteem Wellness Challenge. Approximately 20 percent of the hospital's employees shed a total of about 960 pounds, with an average BMI (Body Mass Index) reduction of 2.8 percent. Eight participants moved from the extremely obese category (BMI more than 35) to the obese category (BMI between 30 and 35) said Kinnie Parker, MPH, CHES, Program Coordinator. Although the original challenge has officially ended, Parker says it has contributed to the creation of a new culture of wellness, and that they intend to keep up the momentum. "LoneStart prepared them (the participants) for the future and gave them tools that they can use the rest of their lives. Even though our first 63-Day Challenge is over, this is just the beginning of the journey for us."

Tim Hayward, Administrator at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital, says the LoneStart program is important to the hospital because it "promotes what we're all about-taking a proactive approach to health and wellness. It's more than just losing weight or exercising, it's making a permanent change in lifestyle."

"Promoting the health and well-being of all employees and their dependents is an important contribution to a healthy and safe workplace," says Parker. "Raising awareness about the importance of good nutrition and adequate physical activity should be a goal for all of us. It is exciting to see the employees of Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital take on this challenge and see the results of their hard work. We want LoneStart to be a lifetime thing." READ MORE
Birthday
Time Flies When You're Having Fun

November 11th marks the third anniversary of the date we organized a grass-roots wellness initiative called LoneStart. We did it with a ton of conviction, a lot of questions, and not a lot of money. We also did it with a lot of people telling us it would never work. "You can't go around talking about personal responsibility. People don't want to hear that. They want to take a pill or drink some tea they heard about on Oprah." But we also had supporters who believed in our premises and goals. They have been steadfast in their encouragement and support. To them and all the individuals and organizations that have helped us create opportunities to promote a realistic and positive wellness strategy we say, "Thanks. Thanks very much."

On the one hand, it seems we should be much further along after three years. We know we've touched many lives, but shouldn't we have been able to touch so many more? If we have a positive, cost-effective strategy that resonates with the people we need to reach, how do we reach hundreds of thousands instead of thousands?

On the other hand, we've come a long way in three years. We've developed a unique model that is easy-to-implement and cost effective (I've been told it's not cool to say "cheap"). Our materials and presentations are better and sharper than ever. We understand the essential challenges to achieving organizational buy-in and building toward lasting behavior change. We now realize our real job is to provide our clients with the tools they need to create a new "Culture of Wellness" and we've even come up with a new concept that makes your brain hurt if you think about it too much: "Viral Wellness."

We're very proud of the work we've done with rural and community health care providers. They usually operate in communities where the incidence of chronic preventable illness is the greatest and the resources the most limited. They do important work and we will continue to pursue every opportunity to participate in and support community wellness initiatives by contributing services or offering reduced fees.

Three years ago we came up with LoneStartNow.com. A friend in advertising told us our name was "weak." "Not enough snap," he said. Well, it may not have snap but it seems to work for people who have proven to themselves that they aLone must Start to take charge of their health and that Now is a great time to do so. So, here we are, three years down the road. We still have our convictions and we still have plenty of questions - but we've also found a few important answers. (We figure the money thing will work out over time.) We're in this for the greater good and the long haul. Thanks for your support, referrals, encouragement, recommendations and inspiration. We can't wait to see where the next three years will take us.

~ Jay Seifert

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If your organization is ready to take responsibility for promoting healthy lifestyles and a healthy work environment, LoneStart is an effective, low-cost and easy-to-administer employee wellness program, which functions equally well as a stand-alone initiative or as a high-impact jump-start to existing or proposed employee wellness strategies.

Contact us today to find out how the LoneStart Wellness Initiative will change your workplace.

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A Challenge. An Opportunity. A Solution.
The LoneStart Wellness Initiative
phone: 512.894.3440