August 8th, 2008

City of Las Vegas — City of Las Vegas Credits Wellness Coaches USA

Blue Bell, PA – August 15, 2008

Wellness Coaches USA, the pioneer and leading national provider of workplace wellness and wellness coaching, is very pleased to distribute the following comment regarding its services to the City of Las Vegas. The information has been provided by Victoria J. Robinson, MBA, SPHR Manager, Insurance Services, City of Las Vegas

In 2004 the city of Las Vegas became the first municipality in the United States to offer a consumer driven health plan. One of the elements of successful consumerism is providing members with the tools and resources to make good decisions and to be good stewards of their own wellness. We realized in late 2005 that, although our costs were almost totally flat, our employees were not taking full advantage of the resources we provided via the website and the health plan (24 hour nurse line, telephonic coaching, etc.) and that there was more we could do to assist our employees towards a healthier lifestyle (and, of course, assist us in keeping our costs low.) We decided that what was missing was that human touch. We felt our employees needed someone to personally assist them in areas of nutrition, weight management, exercise, smoking cessation, etc. We went out for RFP. Nine organizations responded, but Wellness Coaches’ response stood out from the rest. They just seemed to genuinely understand what we were trying to accomplish.

We hired them as of 7/06, and they have been with us ever since. We have 4 full time coaches for our 3,000 employees. They have truly become part of the fabric of our organization. On a daily basis they visit individual employees for one-on-one conversations about health and wellness, as well as delivering printed materials on the health topic of the month, or results from the latest weight loss or walking contest. They provide biometric testing such as blood pressure, weight and body fat percentages. They captain our teams for events like Race for the Cure, or the Susan Komen run. Every first Tuesday of the month is Tooty Fruity Tuesday. On that day they literally deliver a piece of fruit to every city employee. It’s a wonderful opportunity to talk with an employee who may ordinarily be reluctant to discuss a health issue, and a great reminder that snacks don’t have to be full of fat and calories.

I can honestly say they have made inroads in our corporate culture. Two years ago a meeting wasn’t a meeting without donuts and/or muffins the size of your head. While the donuts and muffins still surface more often than we want, they are almost always accompanied by fruit and granola bars. Our City Manager and Mayor talk at city meetings about the positive influences the coaches have had. I receive emails on a regular basis saying “I just walked up six flights and didn’t die. Thanks for the Wellness Coaches.” or “I’ve lost 60 pounds and I’m going to see my son grow up. Thank you for the Coaches.”

We are seeing the difference numerically, as well. It’s extremely hard and costly to do an ROI on these types of services. However, we’ve had over 80 people quit smoking. Over 600 people have reduced their blood pressure. We’ve collectively lost over 6,000 pounds, and walked over 61,000 miles. Our ER visits are down by more than 50%, as are our hospitalizations, while our office visits and preventive care visits are up dramatically. Wellness Coaches have become an integral part of our health program. They have always been wonderful to work with and have quickly and professionally performed any task we asked of them. As you can tell, we are big fans of Wellness Coaches USA here at the city.

September 8th, 2008

Con-way Freight — Con-way Freight Launches Major Expansion of Successful Employee Wellness Program

September 8, 2008

Con-way Freight has launched a major expansion of a successful wellness program that is improving the health and physical fitness of its employees while reducing incidences of workplace injuries and their associated costs.

Initially rolled out at 14 company facilities across eight states, the company is expanding the initiative into an additional 52 facilities, reaching 4,100 more employees in another 13 states. By the close of 2008, the program, provided in collaboration with Wellness Coaches USA, will be available to a total of 6,400 employees at 66 facilities in 21 states. Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW).

In conjunction with the program expansion, Con-way Freight is also launching a 10-week weight loss competition titled “Choose to Lose.” Beginning today, the competition is open to employees throughout the company’s network of more than 400 service locations. Participating employees will attend periodic weigh-ins, with $100, $50 and $25 clothing store gift certificates to be awarded to the first-, second- and third-place winners in each of the wellness program’s regions. There will also be an award for the service center with the greatest participation.

Extraordinary initial results and positive employee feedback were the primary drivers behind the decision to expand the program, in which trained health and fitness professionals provided by Wellness Coaches USA are stationed at the company’s freight service centers. “We’ve seen lifelong smokers quitting smoking, employees lowering chronic high blood pressure, overweight employees shedding pounds and still others discovering and being treated for life-threatening conditions,” said Bob Petrancosta, vice president of safety for Con-way Freight. “You can’t put a price tag on successes like that.”

Launched in early 2007 as a pilot program at several locations, participation in the wellness initiative quickly topped expectations, with as many as 95 percent of employees choosing to meet voluntarily — and privately — with their on-site coach for personal health assessment screening and counseling. The results were nearly immediate: by year-end 2007, the company saw workplace injuries and related worker’s compensation costs decrease by 80 percent, with lost work days cut by 75 percent at the pilot locations.

As the program has grown, so have the results, which to date have included:
• Nearly 831 employees losing a combined total of 6,269 pounds
• More than 170 employees quitting smoking
• 669 employees reducing blood pressure from hypertensive levels
• Nearly 1,470 employees improving overall health through exercise and diet regimens that lowered blood pressure
• More than 5,300 employees attending a combined total of 74,360 one-on-one coaching sessions

The company’s 2008 wellness program expansion targets 14 geographical clusters where a single wellness coach will serve multiple operating locations. Coaches will be covering facilities in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

At Con-way Freight, Wellness Coaches USA coaches have integrated seamlessly into the company’s structure and culture. They begin at each operating location by offering initial health risk assessments along with biometric testing including blood pressure and body composition evaluations. Employees may then choose to participate in one-on-one health-risk coaching to address issues uncovered by the testing.

In addition, coaches develop and promote wellness programming such as walking, weight loss and smoking cessation contests, health fairs and informational displays. They also assist with company-wide efforts like a video-based injury-prevention stretching program launched at every company location in early April.

“Con-way Freight made a commitment to the health of its employees and collaborated with us to deliver a program that produced results,” said Gene McGuire, chief marketing officer for Wellness Coaches USA. “The company proved that by providing resources, guidance and information, it could transform the lives of its employees both at work and at home. With the tremendous results we have already seen, we are thrilled to take our relationship with Con-way Freight to the next level.”

About Con-way Freight
Con-way Freight is the industry’s leading less-than-truckload (LTL) freight transportation company, providing guaranteed, day-definite regional and transcontinental service through a network of more than 400 operating locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., Con-way Freight offers LTL freight delivery across North America, as well as delivery in the United States for international less-than-container (LCL) ocean shipments from Asia through its OceanGuaranteedSM service. Con-way Freight is a certified FAST highway carrier and is ISO 9001- and 14001-, C-TPAT/PIP, ACE- and CSA-certified. Con-way Freight is a subsidiary of Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW), a $4.7 billion freight transportation and logistics services company. For more information, visit www.con-way.com/freight.

July 16th, 2009

ERC Health — ERC Health and Wellness Coaches USA Finalize Wellness Partnership

Blue Bell, PA – July 16, 2009

Wellness Coaches USA (WCUSA), the leading national provider of workplace wellness coaching, is excited to announce that it has partnered with ERC Health and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (Anthem) to provide workplace health coaching to ERC Health member companies.  ERC Health, a health benefits consortium of over 170 middle market employers with approximately 12,000 employees in central and northern Ohio, will begin receiving services in August 2008.  The partnership, which will be funded by Anthem, is in keeping with ERC Health’s long standing commitment to the health, well-being, and quality of life of ERC Health’s member employees.

The collaborative effort combines WCUSA’s unique workplace coaching model, with Anthem’s and ERC Health’s vast array of health and wellness resources and programming, to provide members with a complete and comprehensive health management solution.  “This is a ground breaking initiative.” said Jay Vandegrift, President of WCUSA.  “We are excited about this opportunity, and believe that this partnership with Anthem and ERC Health represents the most innovative, powerful and progressive approach to helping employees improve their health behaviors.”

“We have a reputation for bringing truly effective total health solutions to our clients,” said Robert Klonk, Executive Vice President for Oswald Companies. “The partnership we have facilitated with Wellness Coaches USA and Anthem further strengthens our ability to meet the financial and health improvement objectives of ERC Health’s members.”

ERC Health (www.erchealth.com) – ERC Health is an innovative health insurance program sponsored by ERC, Northeast Ohio’s largest organization dedicated to HR and workplace programs, practices, training and consulting.  The program is designed for employers with at least 51 benefit eligible employees and is underwritten by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Oswald Companies (www.oswaldcompanies.com) – Established in 1893 and headquartered in Cleveland, Oswald Companies and its 450 employees provide value-added products and global services in risk management, property and casualty insurance, life insurance, group benefits and retirement plans from offices in Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina and Ohio. Oswald Companies is supported by 20,000 professionals at 117 independently owned insurance brokers on six continents as an Assurex Global Partner, a consortium of leading risk management and business insurance experts.

March 25th, 2011

Furmano Foods — Wellness Coaches USA Client Case Study

March 25, 2011

Furmano Foods, a Pennsylvania based food products and service company, has been a client of WCUSA since 2006. The company has recently reported that their healthcare costs have remained flat for the past 3 years based upon a recently completed analysis of their Health & Wellness strategy.

Download the Success Story »