Running Head DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.Diet and Physical Act.docx
Wellness: not just child’s play
1. WELLNESS: NOT JUST CHILD’S PLAY!
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WELLNESS
PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS,
BOTH AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME
Presented to the
2013 NAIS ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Philadelphia Convention Center
February 28, 2013
2. Presenters:
Christopher L. Brigham, Esq.
(203) 786-8310
Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.
cbrigham@uks.com
Ben Chant
Elementary Head
The Mandell School
(212) 222 2925 x 5524
ben.chant@mandellschool.org
Cynthia Chalker
Director of Diversity
Friends Seminary
(212) 979 5030
cchalker@friendsseminary.org
3. WHAT ARE EMPLOYEE WELLNESS
PROGRAMS?
Programs aimed at encouraging employees to take
preventative measures to control illnesses and
unhealthy behavior while controlling costs
Educational programs for managing health
Health Risk Assessments
Health Screenings
Onsite fitness facilities
Subsidized fitness programs
Smoking cessation programs
4. WHY ARE EMPLOYERS ADOPTING
WELLNESS PROGRAMS?
More than 75% of employer’s health care costs and productivity
losses are related to employee lifestyle choices
Workplace alcohol, tobacco and other drug use:
$100 Billion each year
Job stress: $200-$300 billion
Obesity: $117 billion in 2000
95% of our nations health expenditures is committed to
diagnosing and treating disease after it becomes manifest
In 2004, tobacco use was estimated to cost the United States $193
billion, including $97 billion in lost productivity and $96 billion
in direct health care expenditures
5. BENEFITS OF
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMS
Benefits:
28% reduction in sick leave absenteeism
26% reduction in the use of health care benefits
30% reduced worker’s compensation claims and
reduced “presenteeism”
Rate of return from $1.49 to $4.91 for every dollar
spent
6. MANDATORY VS. VOLUNTARY
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMS
The Carrot
Many wellness programs focus on encouraging employees
to kick unhealthy habits as well as to develop a sustainable
plan to maintain their health and wellness
The Stick
More employers are seeking legal advice on how to create
more aggressive wellness programs that utilize penalties to
change employee behavior
7. FEDERAL AND STATE LAWS TO
CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING AN
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA)
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
Employment Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
Title VII
Genetic Information Non-Disclosure Act (GINA)
Collective Bargaining Agreements
State “Lifestyle Discrimination” Laws
8. HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY
AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)
The HIPAA nondiscrimination requirements, which are found in Section 702 of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) (as amended by HIPAA)
generally prohibits ERISA group health plans or group health insurance issuers
from denying an individual eligibility for benefits based on a health factor and from
charging an individual a higher premium than a similarly situated individual based
on a health factor.
Health factors include such things as:
Health status
Medical condition
Claims experience
Receipt of health care
Medical history
Wellness programs that do not provide a reward to employees based on satisfying a
health factor do not have to satisfy additional HIPAA non-discrimination
standards.
9. HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)
If a wellness program conditions obtaining a reward or providing a penalty on an
individual satisfying a standard that is related to a health factor, that wellness
program must meet five additional requirements or risk violating the HIPAA non-
discrimination regulations.
1. Rewards (and penalties) based on health factors cannot exceed 20% of the total
cost of employee only coverage
2. The program must be reasonably designed to promote health or prevent
disease
• Not overly burdensome
• Not a strategy for discrimination
3. The program must give individuals eligible for the program the opportunity to
qualify for the reward under the program at least once per year
4. The reward under the program must be available to all similarly situated
individuals
5. The plan must disclose in all plan materials describing the terms of the
program the availability of a reasonable alternative standard.1
1
See Department of Labor Wellness Program checklist for guidance on the types of programs that must
comply with the standards of 29 CFR § 2590.702(f) and how to apply these standards to
particular wellness programs, available at http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/pdf/fab2008-2.pdf.
10. HOW TO DESIGN A
SUCCESSFUL WELLNESS PROGRAM
No “one size that fits all” wellness
program
Assess your school’s specific health
issues
Educate faculty and staff about benefits
of participation
Generate buzz and stimulate
participation:
trinkets, t-shirts, merchandise or cash
premium reduction
11. VARIOUS MODELS OF
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMS
Pre-packaged incentive campaign
Nationally-recognized provider
Link wellness program to school’s
benefits plan
12. STEP 1 – GETTING STARTED
Gain Management Support - Support from senior
management is the key to building a strong wellness
program.
Assess Resources
Time off for participation
Ensure preventive exams are covered under the benefit plan
Identify changes in cafeteria and vending options to support
healthy food selections.
Collect Data
Consider both the demographics (age and gender) and the
utilization patterns of your employees when planning for
health improvement activities
Assess interest in participating
13. STEP 2 – ESTABLISH GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES
A direct relationship to worksite and interest assessment data
Be tied to the organizations overall strategic plan
Be tied to the health promotion program’s evaluation (See step 5 below)
Three levels of programming to consider are Awareness, Education and Behavior
Change.
Awareness Level
Posters, Pamphlets, Fact Sheets, Paycheck Staffers, Articles in
Company Newsletters and Educational Bulletin Boards.
Education Level
Screenings, Health Risk Appraisal with Interpretation, Safety
Meetings, Self-Help Guides and Speakers
Behavior Change Level
Behavior Education Courses, Lifestyle Improvement
Courses, Individual Health Counseling Sessions,
Support Group Activity, Activity Programs/Challenges
and Incentive-Based Programs
14. STEP 3 – ESTABLISH AN EMPLOYEE
HEALTH PROMOTION TEAM
Wellness or Health Promotion
Coordinator
An Employee Wellness Team
15. STEP 4 – PLANNING AND PROMOTION
Health Topic - Lifestyle vs. Disease Prevention
What topic(s) will be included?
Lifestyle Health (i.e. nutrition, exercise, stress
management, weight management, tobacco use)
Disease Prevention (i.e. cancer, heart disease, or
diabetes)
Resources/Activities
What approach will be used to deliver a health topic?
(i.e. newsletter, payroll stuffer, health fair,
speakers, an activity based program such as a walking club,
recreational team, etc.)
16. IMPLEMENTATION
PROCESS a
Who will be responsible for the activity? Should
subcommittee be formed?
When will the activity be scheduled?
How much time is needed to plan the activity and what should
the timetable be?
What facilities and equipment are needed?
Is an outside vendor needed? Which one should be selected
and why?
What kind of budget is needed and where will the money
come from?
What materials are right for the employees?
How will the materials be distributed?
(e-mail, to work stations, to employee homes,
in company newsletter, etc.)
17. PROMOTION IS VITAL
TO PROGRAM SUCCESS
Post flyers and posters
Personally distribute promotional material
Talk to their supervisors for support
Have senior management send written, voice mail
or e-mail messages in support of wellness activities
Discuss the upcoming activities during staff
meetings
Talk it up to coworkers
19. School Consortiums
ISBC Program
Goals:
Insurance rate stabilization
Pro-active risk identification & reduction:
Employee engagement
Sustainability, retention and growth of ISBC
How ISBC collaborates:
Steering Committee goals and incentives
School commitment and focus
Faculty & Staff engagement
20. ISBC
Wellness
Resources:
Benefit plan design and wellness strategy
Education and communications
Personal Wellness Profile (survey)
On-site Screenings (participatory)
Preventive Care acknowledgement
School-defined incentives
Easy, Flexible, and Customized for
Independent Schools
22. ISBC Wellness –
Impact!
Increase in Prevention
Impact on disease (earlier detection)
Stabilization of claims experience and loss
ratio
People are more focused on their health
23. Hartford Middletown New Haven
100 Pearl Street 203 Main Street One Century Tower
P.O. Box 231277 300 Plaza Middlesex 265 Church Street
Hartford, CT 06123-1277 Middletown, CT 06457 New Haven, CT 06510-7002
Tel. 860-548-2600 Tel. 203-786-8300
Tel. 860-346-3626
24. • Pre School through Eighth Grade
• Upper West Side in Manhattan
• 546 students
25. Mandell School
Wellness Program
Underlying Principles:
• Mission driven
• Time must be made
• People must take
ownership
• Don’t reinvent the wheel
26. Mandell School Mission
• The Mandell School is committed to providing a nurturing educational
environment for our children and their families, which through intellectual
stimulation and emotional support, enables them to become responsible
active citizens of the world.
• Mandell challenges each of our students and their families to use their
experience with us to determine how and through what means they will pro-
actively choose to have a positive and meaningful impact on their world. In
turn, it is our responsibility to provide a blueprint for learning, consistently high
expectations and a dedicated and exceptionally talented faculty. We provide
these in support of the emotional, social and intellectual development of our
students and their extended families. This is accomplished through passion and
compassion, active exploration and the collaborative use of individual talents.
• In this way, our students can build for themselves a common foundation of
moral, emotional and intellectual independence that enables them to meet and
exceed their individual goals.
27. 2A Day 1
Time must be made
Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6
8:20-8:30 Morning Meeting Morning Meeting Morning Meeting Morning Meeting Morning Meeting Morning Meeting
30-9:15 8:30-9:00 Fundations Fundations Fundations 8:30-9:00 Guided Wellness/
Guided Reading Reading
Mandell
Meeting
9:15-10:00 Math Recess Writing Workshop Recess Writing Workshop Math
10:00-10:45 Music B/Social Drama A/Writing Guided Reading Drama B/Math A Math Drama A&B
Studies A Workshop B
10:45-11:30 PE Art B PE Art A PE Recess
Grade Level Science A Math B
11:30-12:15 Music A Library Science Language Music B Music A/Social
Science B B/Math A Science A Studies B
12:15-12:45 Tech A/Ag SSR Reading Tech B/Ag Reading Workshop Writing Workshop
(30) Workshop
Study B Study A
12:45-1:15 Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
(30)
1:15-1:45 Reading Math Reading SSR Reading Workshop Writing Workshop
(30) Workshop Workshop
1:45-2:30 Art B Language Art A/Math B Guided Reading Social Writing Workshop
Writing
Workshop A
Studies
2:30-3:00
(30)
3:00 Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal Dismissal
28. Day 6, Period 1
Choices
• Mandell Meeting
• Respect curriculum
• Responsive Classroom modeling
• Health/wellness (stress, positive,
hygiene, nutrition, sex ed)
29. Mandell Meeting
• Origin
– Preliminary meetings with faculty (desire for community, pride, public speaking)
– Tradition
• Organization
– Voluntary committee
– Specialists and homeroom teachers
• Format
– Music
– Students host
– Highlight curriculum
– Admin as MC
– Special guests
– Class plays
30. Don’t reinvent the wheel!
Connected and Respected Curriculum
(a broad flexible book -- cycles grade K-5)
http://www.esrnational.org/
Kdg Making Alike and Different Handling
connections different feelings anger
First Making Exploring our Identifying Communicating Responses
Connections diversity feelings feelings to anger
31. Responsive Classroom
an excellent flexible
framework to talk about life in
the classroom
– http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/resources-e
– http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog
33. Who is involved?
• Homeroom teachers
• Nurse
• Administration
• Food service
• School psychologist
• Specialists – science, PE Department
• Students
• Parents
34. FRIENDS SEMINARY
Co-Educational
Grades K-12
Enrollment 700
students
35. Our Mission
Friends Seminary educates students from
kindergarten through twelfth grade, under
the care of the New York Quarterly
Meeting of the Religious Society of
Friends.
Through instruction and example, students
follow their curiosity and exercise their
imaginations as they develop as scholars,
artists and athletes.
In a community that cultivates the intellect
through keen observation, critical thinking
and coherent expression, we strive to
respond to one another, valuing the single
voice as well as the effort to reach
consensus.
36. Silence, Study and Service
The disciplines of
silence, study and
service provide the
matrix for growth:
silence opens us to
change, study helps
us to know the world;
service challenges us
to put our values into
practice.
37. The World that Ought to Be
At Friends Seminary,
education occurs within the
context of the Quaker belief
in the Inner Light – that of
God in every person.
"Guided by the ideals of
integrity, peace, equality and
simplicity, and by our
commitment to diversity, we
do more than prepare
students for the world that is:
we help them bring about the
world that ought to be."*
43. Wellness to go…
The lawyer:
1. Start the dialogue
2. Take action
The teacher:
1. Have it come from the mission
2. Schedule time for it
The counselor:
1. Look at programs already in place
2. It’s not complicated
