Cigna selected City of Scottsdale, SmartPractice and Tucson Airport Authority as winners of the third annual Cigna Well-Being Award for demonstrating a strong commitment to improving the health and wellness of its employees through workplace wellness programs.
“We are pleased to recognize the City of Scottsdale, SmartPractice and Tucson Airport Authority for the Cigna Well-Being Award. These three employers are passionate about investing in a culture of health,” said Edward Kim, president and general manager for Cigna in Arizona. “Workplace wellness is becoming an industry-wide priority and many employers have experienced a reduction in health care costs as a result of health and wellness initiatives.”
City of Scottsdale’s Live Life Well Program is a comprehensive program that is based on five pillars, which include: health promotion, physical activity, safety, finance and well community. The City offers onsite and online classes for employees on wellness, stress management, employee assistance programs, physical fitness, nutrition, and tobacco cessation. The City also offers health and wellness incentives for employees and spouses who complete their annual health screening.
“We value our wellness program and will continue to enhance it with many new health initiatives on the horizon,” said Seth Dusek, wellness coordinator with the City of Scottsdale. “We are seeing some exciting results. For example, we just wrapped up a ten week weight loss challenge that had 500 participants who lost over 6,000 pounds, with 350 people losing more than five percent of their body weight.”
SmartPractice has offered a wellness program for employees for more than 25 years and has an onsite wellness clinic, pharmacy and gym for employees. Its Wellness Council provides opportunities for employees to participate in monthly lunch and learn programs for all employees and families to learn more about topics such as financial wellness, support for aging parents, sleep apnea, diet and nutrition and healthy family activity options. They also organize wellness events, including a company sponsored 5K and family health day.
“All of our efforts put forth in our wellness program drive our success in recruitment and retention, productivity levels, absenteeism, goal achievement and employee development,” said Michelle Shaw, director of Human Resources for SmartPractice. “We strive for a total wellness concept throughout the entire employment cycle, and have long tenured employees who are proof of success.”
Tucson Airport Authority Wellness Program provides flu shot clinics, biometric screenings, health risk assessments, lunch and learn programs on a variety of topics, monthly health coaching and an annual health fair for employees. In addition, the organization partnered with a nearby hotel so employees can use its fitness center and pool to exercise at no cost.
“Tucson Airport Authority understands the importance of creating a culture that promotes health and wellness,” said Matthew Tipton, Wellness Committee leader for Tucson Airport Authority. “We prioritize wellness education for employees based on results from employee biometric screenings and health risk assessment results, and we are seeing positive outcomes among employees.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. employers lose more than $225 billion each year in productivity due to employee health problems. Cigna created the Well-Being Award to recognize employer clients that have a positive impact on the health and well-being of their workforce.
Applicants are evaluated based on the core components of their wellness program, including the goals, implementation, incentives, leadership engagement and employee participation. All applications are reviewed and judged by an internal, multi-departmental review committee from Cigna.
