Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Community Healthcare - (Page 6)

S p re adi n g the HealtH by ElisE sims Neurology Patient Navigator Kim Sgouroudis, RN, on staff at St. Mary Medical Center, stays busy taking care of stroke patients, helping them understand and carry out their treatment plan. With little time for herself, she says she joined the New Healthy Me (NHM) employee wellness program to get back on track with her own physician visits, lab testing and weigh-ins. “NHM has made everything extremely accessible such as the blood pressure cuff and scale near the cafeteria, obtaining health screenings, which I would not have completed had it not been so simple and quick,” Sgouroudis says. ”It really helps when you are accountable to a program—to check in and receive encouragement.” According to Mary Ellis, RN, a labor and delivery nurse at St. Catherine Hospital, the program works for her because it’s flexible and keeps participants engaged. She appreciates that there are so many possible ways to earn rewards through challenges, she says. “This program allows you to participate at your own speed and on your own timetable,” says Ellis, who works the midnight shift. “You log in, read helpful information and feel like you are part of a group— all in the middle of the night.” “Although I started the program to save money on my health insurance, I am now doing it for myself,” says Jacki Osenkarski, Community Healthcare System Call Center coordinator. “I have lost about 50 pounds and feel so much better physically and psychologically. I have reduced medications for diabetes and high blood pressure by 50 percent. Getting points for every healthy thing I do is an added bonus.” A LittLe Me tiMe Healthcare employees like Kim, Mary and Jacki are known for doing things for everyone else, but New Healthy Me is something they finally can do for 6 Fa l l 2 013 Incentive-based program is reaping benefits for employees and employers alike themselves and it’s paying off, explains Roger Vogie, director of the NHM program. NHM is a points-based incentive program that has been helping Community Healthcare System employees maintain healthier lifestyles. As employees participate in wellness activities throughout the year, such as exercising, losing weight, having an annual physical or joining a team walking challenge, they accumulate points that translate into rewards. Every 5,000 points accumulated means prizes such as gift cards and prize drawings and, upon discretion of the employer, money in their paycheck to offset healthcare premiums. For employers, NHM provides a tool to positively impact the rising costs associated with unhealthy lifestyle habits. “Although we created this program for Community Healthcare System employees initially, ultimately we wanted to be able to build on this after her husband, arist, lost more than 75 pounds, kim sgouroudis, Rn, says she joined the new healthy Me (nhM) employee wellness program to get back on track with her own physician visits, lab testing and weigh-ins.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Community Message
Community Briefs
Dream Team
Spreading the Health
Memory Keepers
Step It Up
Your Mightiest Muscle
Well, Well, Well
Are You Doing More Harm Than Good?
Is Your Shut-Eye Serving You Well?
On the Cover
Anatomy of an ER Visit
Next-Gen Surgery
Attack from Within
Virtual Health
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Mary Medical Center
SPOTLIGHT ON: Community Hospital
SPOTLIGHT ON: St. Catherine Hospital
In Good Hands

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Community Healthcare