Eastman Chemical Company Awarded C. Everett Koop National Health Award for Outstanding employee health promotion and improvement

Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) August 31, 2011

HealthFitness client Eastman Chemical Company was awarded the C. Everett Koop National Health Award, a prestigious recognition of outstanding population health promotion and improvement. The award will be presented in September at the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) 2011 Forum for Employee Health Management Solutions in Phoenix. For 2011 only three companies received the C. Everett Koop Award, which is given annually to programs that demonstrate health improvements, coupled with cost savings, and that have been instrumental in promoting the measurement and evaluation of evidence-based, workplace health promotion.

Eastman is headquartered in Kingsport, Tenn., and its HealthE Connections program includes 8,621 employees and 6,248 spouses. The goal of the program is to improve or maintain employees’ and dependents’ health, resulting in lower health care cost and increased productivity.

“Eastman’s” HealthE Connections has not only brought the needed resources for population health to its employees, but has also engaged employees and their spouses on every shift by creating a pervasive culture of health,” said HealthFitness President and CEO Paul Lotharius. “Over two decades, Eastman Chemical Company has worked to identify the health needs of its population and to address them through programs that enhance employee health, increase productivity, and lower overall costs.”

Eastman’s award-winning program is coordinated by Eastman Integrated Health, which has counted HealthFitness as among its employee health partners since 1991. HealthFitness designs and manages implementation of an employee health risk assessment (HRA) for Eastman. The HRA is a self-test taken by employees to determine their risk factors for a range of health issues. Employees are then offered personalized, confidential advice for lowering identified risks. During the past five years, on average, 90 percent of Eastman employees have taken the annual HRA. HealthFitness also manages Eastman’s health coaching program, works with the company to develop employee engagement strategies, and works on-site at Eastman locations to implement a wide range of program activities.

“We recognized that in order to build a culture of health we have to first build relationships with our internal Eastman manufacturing and functional organizations,” said Dr. Ibrahim Heiba, Eastman Chemical Company medical director. “Because of these relationships we have been able to form division wellness teams and site steering teams. With assistance from HealthFitness these teams develop their own goals and objectives to improve the health and productivity of their employees, and also encourage employee participation in company-sponsored programs.”

Through partnership with HealthFitness to analyze the results of the overall employee population’s health risks, Eastman tailors programs to meet the top health concerns of its population. In addition to health coaching and a health portal, employees and their spouses are offered on-site biometric screenings as well as physical activity programs, weight management, health promotion and wellness programs. Specific populations, such as shift workers, also receive targeted programming.

The company has maximized employee participation in its program through use of incentives. A total of $ 600 in benefits premium reduction can be earned for completing the HRA. Employees may also earn up to $ 300 to put into a health savings or reimbursement account if they complete a health improvement program offered by Eastman.

During the past five years the average number of health risks per employee has consistently decreased among participants in the company’s health improvement programs. And as employees become healthier, overall health care costs are reduced. Eastman has seen a strong $ 3 return on every $ 1 invested in its programming.

About HealthFitness

HealthFitness, a subsidiary of The Trustmark Companies, is an award-winning, NCQA-accredited provider of health, fitness and condition management solutions. With 30-plus years of experience, HealthFitness partners with employers and health plans to effectively manage health care and productivity costs by improving individual health and well-being. HealthFitness provides a portfolio of solutions, including best-in-class integration, condition management, INSIGHT® Health Risk Assessments, screenings, EMPOWERED® Health Coaching and fitness facility design and management. For more information on HealthFitness, visit http://www.hfit.com.

For media inquries, please contact:

Alex Moorhead

alex(at)health2resources.com

(703) 319-0957

This press release was distributed through PR Web by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: http://www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

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