Corporate Wellness Blog

The keys to a successful wellness program are persistent one-on-one outreach and follow-up counseling to encourage health improvement, adherence to treatment programs, changes in lifestyle behaviors, and to prevent relapse.

Periodic outreach and follow-up procedures provide employees with a safety net which keeps them involved in the wellness program and prevents treatment dropout and relapse.

Counselors should follow up on employees at least every 6 months throughout the career of the worker at the workplace.  The objectives of follow-up are to –  

• Involve staff members who have health risks in treatment and risk reduction programs.

• Involve all workforce in health promotion programs and workplace-wide wellness activities.

• Support workforce in carrying out the risk reduction or health improvement activities they have chosen.

• Make sure to help workforce comply with their treatment programs.

• Prevent relapse.

• Avoid workers from dropping out.

• Be certain to help workforce maintain behavior changes.

Follow-up can be conducted in individuals, by phone, mail, and via computer if the technology is available. Most preferable is an in-person contact.

Computer programs which may do case load management are available to help counselors track information and perform follow-up.

Priorities for Follow-Up

Individuals  with multiple health risks must be at the top of the list. Individuals  in key positions like union leaders or department heads with health risks should also be contacted early so that they learn what the health promotion program is about and can share the information with others.

People  who need a medical investigation for high blood pressure (BP) or cholesterol should also be targeted early. Many staff members will have seen their physicians thus of the screening, but some will need more encouragement to do so. Those with no health risks can be followed up annually.

A follow-up counseling session can take 20 to 45 minutes.  At minimum, follow-up must include those who were told to seek medical analysis for high blood pressure (BP) readings, high cholesterol readings, or borderline high blood cholesterol readings with 2 or more other risk factors.

It might include those who were identified as at-risk for one or more of the other major risk factors –  at-risk levels of alcohol consumption, being overweight, and having low HDL.

Follow-Up With Doctors

A letter (see forms) must be sent to the doctor or clinic of each employee who’s high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or is under a doctor’s care.

The letter ought to explain the wellness program and ought to include the employee’s relevant, current health measurements.

Along with the letter, send a self-addressed return envelope. Follow-up with the doctor must be repeated every 6 months until it is determined that the employee is under satisfactory control.

Contacting the doctor is important for three reasons –

• The physicians receive employees’ health measurements taken at the worksite.

• You receive the blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol readings the physician takes and information on the treatment the physician prescribes.

Many times the employee doesn’t have this information or doesn’t remember it.  The information could be used when counseling the employee.

• Follow-up encourages physicians to pay closer attention to heart illness risk factors among their patients.