Maxine Sonnenschein of Boynton Beach works out along the shore at Ocean Ridge.
An employee of the Tax Collector’s Office, she has lost weight and lowered cholesterol numbers
after learning to eat differently, thanks to wellness classes.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Paula Detwiller
If your employer offered you cash back in your paycheck for taking action to improve your health, would you do it?
About 170 employees of the Tax Collector’s Office of Palm Beach County answered “yes” to that question last year. They chose to participate in a nonmandatory employee wellness program called “Journey to Good Health” that began in 2010.
For their participation last year, these folks will receive $480 in cash rebates this year in their paychecks — essentially, a discount on their share of the agency’s medical insurance premium. They earned the rebates by attending free classes on nutrition, healthy cooking, stress management and fitness planning. They also had access to free, one-on-one counseling with a registered dietitian.
Starting this year, the wellness program is offering new incentives, such as free, at-work fitness classes and a free wearable device that lets users track their activity, food intake, sleep and weight. But participants found to have measurable health risks will have to do more than attend the classes to earn their $480 in rebates.
“This year, they have to improve one of their health risks, whether it’s blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index or blood sugar level, in order to qualify for any rebate money,” says Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon.
Program participants whose health screenings show no risks will automatically get the full $480 as a reward for staying healthy.
Pushing for good health
Gannon, of Delray Beach, is the same public official who generated controversy when she announced in 2009 that her office would no longer hire smokers. Her continuing quest to help employees lead healthier lives stems from her own health-consciousness: She grew up in a family with heart disease. Two sisters have died of it, and her father died of smoking-related heart ailments.
When Gannon originally proposed the wellness program, which is run by a private firm that keeps participants’ health information confidential, “some of my directors didn’t like it,” she says, “and many employees questioned the whole thing.” They compared it to Big Brother.
But participation has increased each year, and attitudes are changing. In a recent survey, 92 percent of participants said they would recommend the wellness program to other employees.
One of the program’s biggest fans is self-described “workout freak” Maxine Sonnenschein of Boynton Beach. She lowered her cholesterol from 307 to 211 without the help of prescription drugs and lost about 10 pounds after learning to eat differently in the wellness program classes.
Her son, a Type-1 diabetic who also has celiac disease, also benefited from the things his mom learned.
“I had always been concerned with gluten and carbohydrates in foods because of my son,” she says. “I never looked at cholesterol — never even thought about it. Now I’m learning to create better meals for both of us, merging gluten-free foods with vegetables and more fiber.”
Making positive changes
The Journey to Good Health was fruitful in 2013. Fifty-three participants lost a total of 455 pounds. Fifteen participants identified as prediabetic were removed from that classification upon rescreening. And 69 percent of those in the high-risk total cholesterol group decreased their risk, with an average reduction in total cholesterol of 11 percent.
“The cool thing is, I’ve seen a lot of people around here change,” says Sonnenschein. “They take the stairs, they walk up and down the parking ramps, and they go out and walk more. They feel good about themselves.”
“Healthy employees are more productive,” says Gannon. “They are also happier and treat our customers better.”
Originally, it was hoped that creating a healthier workforce would drive down the office’s health care insurance costs. But with current market forces working against that hope, Gannon says, “I just want costs to stay stable and not see any huge increases.”
And of course, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink. Last year about 60 out of 281 eligible employees said “no” to the program — despite the cash-back incentive.
“We can create the culture and give them the tools, but we can’t do it for them,” says Gannon. “They have to meet us halfway.”
Paula Detwiller is a freelance writer and lifelong fitness junkie. Visit her at www.pdwrites.com.
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