In My Community

A Healthy Workforce Leads to a Healthy Bottom Line

Health and productivity are inextricably linked. A healthy workforce is productive, has reduced levels of absenteeism and presenteeism, and requires less company and personal investment in health care expenses. Investing in awareness, behavior change, biometrics and environmental support can lead to short-term and long-term improvements in employee health and productivity. The American Diabetes Association's Stop Diabetes at Work interactive resources can help.

Stop Diabetes at Work is an American Diabetes Association initiative designed to help companies and employees take charge of their health and reduce their risk for diabetes. This online program addresses diabetes awareness, detection, prevention (of the disease and its complications) and successful management. It is an opportunity to begin the process of education and changing behaviors, which in turn lowers the employer's economic costs related to this dreadful and expensive disease. Components of the program currently include:

Get the Facts

• Learn more about the critical need to focus on diabetes in the workplace.
• Make the business case for a healthy worksite. Listen to archived webinars with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expert Pamela Allweiss, MD, MPH, or view the slides.

Online Tools

• Take the Diabetes Risk Test and share it with your colleagues. Post it on your intranet or distribute hard copies to your employees.
• Share the Association's MyFoodAdvisor for recipes and healthy eating advice.
• Let employees with type 2 diabetes know about Living with Type 2 Diabetes, a free year-long program that helps them learn to live well with diabetes.
• Lifestyle tips for all employees.
• Information about preventing nerve damage, kidney damage, heart attacks and strokes.

Stop Diabetes at Work Benefits Includes

• Employer access to a password-protected portal with electronic resources to share with your staff.
• Employee access to web-based materials to help them learn about healthy lifestyles and track their successes.
• Opportunity for an American Diabetes Association associate to present a "Lunch and Learn" workshop which overviews healthy living and diabetes prevention and management.

Visit www.diabetes.org/workplace or contact Brooke Hartrum at 732-469-7979 ext. 3521 for more information or to register for this FREE program.