Health and wellness...it's not just for athletes anymore.  

The 6th Annual Colorado Culture of Health Conference kicks off April 10th.

As part of a definition, health and wellness isn't just about doing group exercises in the company parking lot before getting to work.  It covers a wide range of health from physical to mental.  Companies across the U.S. have been instituting employee health and wellness programs for years, offering incentives for employees that reach certain health benchmarks, providing on site mental health help and even participating in fitness group activities.

But the question being asked today is "how effective are employee health and wellness programs?"  With the recent passing of the health care reform bill, businesses above a certain size are required to provide health and wellness programs to their employees.  

In a recent survey by the Mountain States Employers Council, 51 percent of Colorado employers said they provide wellness programs for their employees.  However, sixty-one percent of that same survey group said they weren't sure if wellness programs actually reduced workers' health care costs.

In anticipation of the sixth annual Colorado Culture of Health Conference, on April 10, 2013 at the Denver Convention Center, national and local health policy leaders are holding a call-in press conference to discuss the impact of wellness programs, particularly among small businesses.

Preventative care is at the root of employee wellness programs as the theory is that ultimately, these programs will help reduce workers' health care costs and lower workers compensation claims.  However it's still not clear cut that these programs are actually lowering costs, particularly since businesses have to spend money to implement many of the programs required.

During the call-in press conference as well as during the conference itself, attendees will have an opportunity to learn about how wellness programs are helping employees and the businesses both in productivity and financially.  

Conference topics will include discussions regarding:

·         Worksite wellness trends and the factors influencing the health status of our state;

·         New tools and strategies to increase participation in wellness programs;

·         Data on the types of benefits and wellness programs Colorado employers offer

·         How a healthy workforce can improve a business’ bottom line;

·         How to gather and use data to quantify the success of a worksite wellness program;

·         Effective strategies that can be implemented in all sizes of worksites;

·         Evidence based research, in innovative case studies, and programs to address        

          diverse worksites.