LiveWell, the city’s employee health and wellness program, celebrates its 30th year in 2018.
The program strives to improve the health and well-being of employees, reduce medical-related costs and absenteeism, and ultimately produce healthier employees who can better serve the community.
LiveWell helps employees target specific health-related concerns such as weight management and tobacco use and promotes physical activity. It actively supports employees’ efforts, at work and at home, to live healthier through organizational practices, policies and programs. Such programs include monthly blood pressure screenings and body composition analysis, presentations by guest speakers on topics like nutrition, discounted exercise classes during the workday at City Hall, and employee and family discounts at city recreation facilities.
This month, LiveWell will launch a new website and mobile app that will provide incentives for getting health assessments and completing health challenges at work and home.
“Your healthy lifestyle is all day long, at work and at home,” said Hillary Hurlbutt, the city’s health and wellness program manager. “We are excited to incorporate spouses in this piece of the program, to add another layer of fun and support for employees in reaching their health goals.”
The first challenge with the new website, “Water You Drinking?”, will encourage participants to drink more water. The program will award points for participating in challenges that focus on healthy tasks such as exercising, visiting the dentist, and getting an annual physical exam or age-appropriate preventative screening. At the end of the year, the points can be used to earn gift cards.
About 60 percent of city employees participate in at least one wellness activity each year.
Employees are encouraged to complete an annual online health assessment. The proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget includes incentives for employees’ spouses to also obtain an assessment, which analyzes cholesterol, blood pressure, height, and weight. Employees who complete the assessment get an overview of their health and receive discounts on their health insurance costs.
The annual LiveWell Employee Health Fair on April 26 will feature free health screenings, lunch, games and activities for city employees and their families.