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Date: 5/29/2015
CHICOPEE – In an effort to encourage a healthier workforce, Mayor Richard Kos recently announced a new fitness program for municipal employees that public officials said could be the model for like programs throughout the Pioneer Valley.
“There are very few municipalities that are undertaking initiatives like this and there are even fewer in Western Massachusetts,” Chris Jasinski, health management program manager for Health New England, said. “To have the city take these steps really puts it in the forefront as a leader in this particular area.”
Starting June 1, the program will offer monetary compensation to employees for reaching fitness activity and nutrition goals.
“We could be the model for the entire area,” City Council President George Moreau said.
The program utilizes unused funds originally appropriated for health insurance deductible reimbursement four years ago. Kos explained the account held $100,000 and during the course of hour years, it was utilized twice to the tune of $200.
Kos added that instead of pulling the money back into the Free Cash fund or offering a one-time refund, the town worked with FieldEddy and insurance providers Health New England and Blue Cross Blue Shield to identify and develop a fitness program in which any municipal employee eligible for the city’s health insurance can participate.
The goal, Kos said, was to encourage healthier lifestyles for city employees, with a long-range goal of cost savings.
“We really believe this shows attention to our employees. Healthy employees are employees who are going to be more productive, who are going to be healthier, and by being healthier are going to make less demands on their sick days, and by using less sick days and being healthier, they are going to make less demands on our health insurance,” he said. “The city and employees will benefit because as our insurance demands go down, ultimately the ideal would be that we’d have lower rates.”
Kos also thanked the City Council for being supportive of the initiative and allowing him to roll the nearly $100,000 account into the fitness reimbursement account.
“If you have healthy employees, your employees are going to do a better job for you,” Moreau said. “I told the mayor if this program really takes off, I’d be very happy to bring some more funds forward to make sure this program stays and we keep it going all the time.”
Through the program, employees will be issued accelerometers, or can use similar fitness tracking devices such as FitBits and will be asked to record daily fitness activity with the goal of reaching 7,000 “steps” per day, or 35,000 “steps” per week. Those who reach 35,000 per week for a month will receive a $25 payment.
The city expects 10 to 20 percent of its roughly 2,000 employees to participate, thanks to the incentives, Jasinski said. Normally, he explained, programs without rewards yield only about 5 percent participation.
While “steps” are utilized as the unit of measurement, the program isn’t confined to running or walking; a conversion chart offers equivalents for all manner of exercises, from swimming to yoga, based on 15-minute intervals.
For a point of reference, Jasinski explained 10,000 steps offers the same health benefits as doing 30 minutes of physical activity at once. Five-thousand steps is equivalent to remaining sedentary all day.
“This is going to get people over those physical inactivity levels and will give people the opportunity to increase and feel health benefits,” he said.
Jasinski stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle. He pointed out that one out of every two adults carries at least one chronic condition, one out of three has high blood pressure, and one out of 12 adults has diabetes. Physical inactivity and poor nutrition are “fundamental drivers” of those conditions and the city’s program directly targets those deficiencies, he said.
“Upwards of 80 percent of our population isn’t getting recommended amounts of physical activity,” he said. “Eighty percent of the population, four out of five Americans, aren’t getting recommended nutrition.”
Those with physical limitations can also take part in the initiative by exercising healthy eating habits and participating in existing nutritional programs offered through Health New England and Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Kos said “there is a buzz” in City Hall regarding the program, an assertion with which Assistant City Messenger Ken Stearly concurred, stating his seven-member department would have 100 percent participation.