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Type of Counseling:  none

Typical Cost:  usually free to the employees of companies using this program

Type Program:  self-help

Type of Foods Used:  regular grocery store food

At-Home or Direct Mail Plan Available?  No

Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA)

9802 Nicholas St. Suite 315

Omaha, NE 68114

402-827-3590

Website: www.welcoa.org

Email: wellworkplace@welcoa.org

Summary

After a company buys membership in WELCOA it is up to the individual company to decide what they want to focus on (diet, smoking, stress, etc.). Corporate membership dues are $365 annually.

Companies usually do not charge you, the employee, for the service---the premise being that healthy employees will be more productive and healthy employees will reduce the companies’ expense for health insurance.

WELCOA provides resources for programs in addition to items for purchase, brochures, newsletters, etc. It does not have a "standard" program for companies. For example, there is no program if a company wants to focus on dieting, only brochures, etc. A motivational speaker is available, for an extra fee to the company.

Through Absolute Advantage, WELCOA’s worksite wellness magazine and InfoPoint, the members only website, a company can gain access to exclusive interviews with industry experts, tips and strategies for developing their wellness programs, free health bulletins, PowerPoint presentations to deliver to employees, and more.

WELLCOA’s - Just For You brochures

• Nutrition

• Exercise

• Stress

• Health At Work

• Addictions

• Disease Management

• Medical Self-Care

• Fatigue

• Financial

• General wellness

• Safety

• Health Assessment

• Managing Weight

• Eating Healthy While Eating Out

• How to Lose Weight the Healthy Way

Nutrition topics covered:

• Perfect Pounds: Assessing Your Weight

• Packing A Healthy Lunch: Making the Most of Your Mid-Day Meal

• Understanding the Food Guide Pyramid: The Building Blocks of a Healthy Diet

• Portion Your Platter: Eating Right and Living Well

• Reading Food Labels: Your Guide To Eating Wisely

• Fad Diet Fraud: Your Guide to Fad Diets, and Healthy Weight Loss

• Five A Day For Better Health: Making Fruits and Vegetables a Part of Your Diet

• Smart Fast Food Choices: A Guide to Making Healthy Fast Food Choices

• Victory At The Vending Machine: Making Healthier Food Choices

• Nutrition: Diets Don’t Work

• Supersize Your Meal, Not Yourself

• Blood Pressure & Cholesterol: Control Risk Factors

• Nutrition: Calories Count

• Grocery Store Grab Bag: Navigating the Aisles

• The Perfect Lunch: A Guide for Your Lunch Break

** All brochures come in packs of 10, priced at $2.70 per pack

Also available are:

• Lifestyle Management Guides- $6 each

• Stop and Go Fast Food Nutrition Guide - $6.95

• The Culprit & The Cure Book  ($9.95) and Audiobook ($19.99)

WELCOA’s Dr. Hunnicutt can be secured for on-site presentations, priced at $1,500 to $3,000 per presentation, depending on the level of need. Presentation: Obesity- It’s All Around Us

This is a "bare bones" program offered by select companies free of charge to their employees. Material related specifically to weight loss is not very in-depth, consisting of self-help pamphlets. No group or one-to-one counseling is provided, with the exception of a presentation by Dr. Hunnicutt, only if your company pays for him to come to your company. No phone support or online support or feedback is available. This is not a structured program. Rather, it leaves most of the work up to you, although you may glean some information and tips from the brochures that are distributed by your company. You really need to be self-motivated to make this "program" work for you.

________________________________________________________________________

One employee benefits survey reports that nearly one-third of U.S. businesses it polled help pay for gym memberships- up 35% in just four years.

The most common corporate weight loss programs include educational materials, on-site fitness centers and Weight Watchers meetings, reimbursement for gym memberships, blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, and nutrition counseling.

Some businesses started paying for diet pills several years ago and in the past two years, some have begun paying for surgeries such as a gastric bypass, costing up to $40,000, for those who are dangerously obese.

The Society for Human Resource Management’s annual survey of several hundred employee benefit managers found that 22% provide on-site fitness centers, up from 20% in 1999; 24% offer a weight loss program, up from 23%; and 11% provide nutrition counseling, up from 8% Forty-eight percent of insurance companies in America now provide weight loss programs. Still, plenty of businesses are doing no more than handing out leaflets.

Examples of employer programs…

One example of a worksite program is USAA’s Property and Casualty Insurance Group, in Tampa, Florida. The center has fitness instructors and college interns to design exercise programs. It also offers an array of exercise classes, including step aerobics and circuit training, throughout the day. It also offers classes called " Healthy Bites," on eating healthy, teaching employees about things such as portion control and the number of calories in fast food.

The health care giant Think Light has fitness centers at most facilities. Its "Live for Life" program has twice-weekly running and walking clubs, and personalized nutrition and fitness counseling, offering prizes for healthy choices.

At Parker Hannifin Corp., one-third of its 26,000 employees participate in "Healthtrac". They get quarterly phone calls from a health educator about weight control or other health problems.

Insurance company Cigna Corp. and IBM use the "Think Light!" program that pushes low-fat high-fiber diets through counseling, telephone support, discussion groups and educational materials.

Third-party billing company Alliance Data Systems has a fitness center and uses a syndicated program called "LEARN" (Lifestyles, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships and Nutrition). It includes a food diary and 16 weekly lessons on setting realistic weight-loss goals, staying motivated and preventing or coping with relapses.

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