By Kristen Dickerson, Ph.D., BWC Statewide Health, Wellness, and Special Program Manager
The arrival of 2020 brings a new year, a new decade, and some changes to Better You, Better Ohio!®, our health and wellness program for workers who work for small employers (150 or fewer employees) in high-risk industries.*
With Better You, Better Ohio!, eligible employers can still start a health and wellness program for their workforce at no cost, without paperwork and without the hassles of running it on their own. But now the program is better than ever.
A streamlined enrollment process – now one step that takes minutes – makes it easier for users to get started. Additionally, we and ActiveHealth Management will offer free monthly webinars on a variety of health and wellness subjects.
The new-and-improved homepage includes timely information and helpful tools for users. A new Wellness Champion Guide can help employers jumpstart their health and wellness programs by empowering workers to take on a more active role in the program.
With more than 17,800 participants in the program, Better You, Better Ohio! is bringing a healthier lifestyle to more and more Ohioans. The program offers an annual incentive, meaning if you participated in 2019, you are eligible again for another incentive for 2020! If you or your company participated last year, we want you to continue your wellness journey this year.
In 2019, we helped employers from all over the state set up 174 on-site biometric screening events for their workers. Many are already booking their events for this year.
Last year’s success stories include several participants losing weight, becoming more active, reducing blood pressure, reducing the number of medications they take, and getting their blood sugar in check. At one biometric screening event in 2019, two lives were likely saved when workers went to the emergency room with critically high blood pressures discovered during their screenings.
Stories like the ones above make the program a success and are reminders of how we can all be healthier and happier. Better You, Better Ohio! is here to help.
*Agriculture; automotive repair and service; construction; firefighters; health care; manufacturing; police and public safety; public employers; restaurant and food service; transportation and trucking; trash collection; wholesale, and retail
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