Basic HTML Version
Healthcare Journal of new orleans
I
NOV / DEC 2014
37
to DHH, an estimated 1.6 million or one in
every three Louisianians is obese. In 2013,
Louisiana spent an estimated $28 billion on
the treatment and economic costs of pri-
mary chronic diseases, like heart disease,
obesity, and diabetes. By making healthier
choices, DHH Secretary Kathy Kliebert esti-
mates costs from chronic conditions could
be reduced by $17.3 billion coupled with a
decrease of 600,000 chronic disease cases.
“Our goal was let’s get everybody involved
so we brought in all these entities for a whole
programof developing criteria so that every-
one agreed that this is a healthy place to be,”
Kliebert says. “This done, we offer technical
assistance to these entities that meet that cri-
teria and we’ll recognize you with a sticker on
your window and on our website. I’ve always
been a believer if you have better options and
understand why those options are better for
you then your behavior will change.”
Talks initially focused on pilot programs
for children, but Kliebert questioned their
effectiveness if these children weren’t hear-
ing the same message at home and in the
community. The behaviors could be taught,
but typically were lost if they weren’t rein-
forced, which gave rise to the WellSpot
designation.
Kliebert calls the Well-Ahead initiative
a road map toward improving quality and
length of life. And, like Ellish, she also envi-
sions a healthier populace that could lower
healthcare costs and free money up for other
health boosting programs and initiatives.
Growing interest in health cost savings, as
well as a healthier, more productive work-
force in Louisiana is keeping SB Wellness
Group a lot busier these days. Employers,
contending with drastically rising health
costs, are seeing the value of a healthier
culture. Employees are also seeing tighter
government regulations such as requiring
insurance surcharges on smokers.
“I’ve been doing this for 18 years and I’m
seeing change,” says Company President
Shelly Beall.
Louisiana’s turnaround came in the last
four to five years and she expects it to con-
tinue growing, Beall says. It was slow coming,
considering work site wellness has been pop-
ular in other states like California for nearly
18 years. But it is happening and Beall’s strat-
egy is showing employees that health and
fitness can be fun – it’s not just about giving
up things.
“It’s just a matter of convincing manage-
ment to help with buy-in by supporting the
employees to take advantage of these healthy
options,” she says.
Just as Beall espouses the need for a sup-
port network, Kliebert is already seeing it
happen organically on a statewide level.
“Some of our WellSpots are starting to
encourage each other and support each
other,” she says. “We’ll support and recog-
nize that.”
n
SB Wellness Group,
Shelly Beall, President,
bottom right.