For Immediate Release: Wednesday, April 11, 2012
ROCKVILLE, Md., April 11, 2012—Montgomery County Councilmember George Leventhal today commended County Executive Isiah Leggett and the Montgomery County Government Employees Organization (MCGEO) for including employee wellness provisions in a recently negotiated contract agreement.
The section of the new agreement between the County and its approximately 10,000 employees addressing Employee Health Management was based on the recommendations of the County’s Task Force on Employee Wellness and Consolidation of Agency Group Insurance Programs. The task force was formed last year by a resolution sponsored by Councilmember Leventhal.
"The only effective way to bend the cost curve for health care is to reduce utilization and the best way to do that is to help people get healthier,” said Councilmember Leventhal, who chairs the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee. “The task force recommended that County agencies create and foster a culture of wellness through a proactive program with goals, outcomes, incentives and ongoing communication with employees. I am very pleased that both County Executive Leggett and MCGEO recognized the importance of establishing a wellness program. Helping our employees stay healthy, and giving them incentives to do so, sends the message that we care about them and it will save money for our employees, the County government and the taxpayers.”
The task force further recommended a disease management program as part of an innovative health care delivery system to improve the health of employees with chronic diseases and to reduce the number of employees who develop chronic diseases.
The Employee Health Management program is to go into effect no later than July 15. The County and the employees organization have agreed to work together to structure the program “to develop and implement comprehensive population health management initiatives designed to foster a culture of health within the workforce and integrate health management into benefit plan offerings.”
The health management program will focus on identifying health risk assessments. It will create workplace wellness education programs that address exercise, fitness activities, weight management, nutrition and smoking cessation. Individualized health advising and wellness coaching will be available.
To make maximum use of the opportunities that will be created by the program, incentives will be established for participation.
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Release ID: 12-074
Media Contact: Neil Greenberger 240-777-7939, Delphine Harriston 240-777-7931