Healthy People - Prospectus

There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that America is in the midst of a second public health revolution. At the turn of the 20th century, the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States were infectious diseases. The first public health revolution significantly reduced infectious disease as the cause of premature death with the implementation of sanitation and public health policies.

Today, the major causes of morbidity and mortality are chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke. These conditions develop over time as a result of health habits and lifestyle factors over which the individual has some control. The goal of the second public health revolution is to prevent the development of chronic disease through health promotion and education programs.

The work place has been identified as an ideal setting in which to influence a large portion of the nation's population. There are approximately 100 million people in the nation's work force where employees are easily accessible for surveillance and follow-up programs. The work site is often the setting for high risk behaviors such as smoking, the consumption of excess caffeine and junk food, increased levels of stress, and sedentary patterns of behavior. As a result, the work place is now recognized as a promising location for the implementation of health promotion activities and disease prevention education.

The overall goal of HEALTHY PEOPLE is to provide employees with comprehensive health promotion and disease prevention services. More specifically, the goals of the program are:

1. Increased health education for employees.
2. Increased morale and productivity among employees.
3. Decreased absenteeism, resulting in lower substitute costs and more student time with the teacher.
4. Decreased health care claim costs in the long run. It is common for health claims to rise at first as a result of health screenings which often identify unknown conditions such as high blood pressure or cholesterol that require treatment; however, early detection results in lower claims over time.
5. Enhanced school climate. A health promoting atmosphere with teachers, staff, and administrators becoming supportive of one another's well being.

PHASE ONE: SCREENING

The first step in an effective employee wellness program is to assess the needs and risk factors among the specific population. The first phase of HEALTHY PEOPLE consists of a computerized risk evaluation and an individualized health screening and counseling session offered to all employees on a voluntary basis. This establishes a baseline for disease prevention and the ability to identify risk factors within each work location. From this information, intervention programs can be developed that are tailored to reducing specific risk factors for disease.

PHASE TWO: INTERVENTION PROGRAMS

Programs will be designed to meet the specific needs of each work location as determined by the risk evaluation and health screening. Anticipated programs include reducing risks for heart disease, stop smoking, exercise, weight control, stress management, safety, and cancer screening. A more complete description of these programs follows.

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