Healthy workers are happier workers. The old adage has proved true to companies involved in the Argus Wellness Programme. Local health insurance giant, Argus, started the programme in 2005 as a means to try and contain health costs.

While the programme has not made a dent in lowering health care premiums as yet, figures do indicate that it is making people healthier.

The company reported that 13.7 percent of people who have been in the programme for two years, have lowered their cancer risk, 8.2 percent have improved their weight, 9.6 percent have improved their nutrition, 13.7 percent have improved their aerobic exercise and 8.2 percent have taken fewer sick days.

Nutritionist Catherine Burns is the Wellness Manager. She said local healthcare costs are in the region of $376 million. “Health premiums are going up and up and Argus want to stay in business,” she said.

She said the company realises that insurance premiums could reach a level where people will not be willing or able to pay them. Not only would that leave people financially vulnerable but also it could have a serious impact on the company’s bottom line.

One way to help counter this is to lessen the numbers of people needing expensive, extensive, intensive treatment. In short, keeping people healthy longer.

“The Argus Group is seeking to revolutionise healthcare in Bermuda by encouraging a preventive rather than reactive approach to health,” she said.

The Wellness programme is offered free of charge to companies that are insured with Argus. To date, 27 of the 50 largest businesses that have their health insurance with Argus are participants.

The Wellness programme has several components that help workers take charge of their health. Mrs. Burns works closely with the organiser of the programme in each business and uses Wellsource, Inc. an online health company and publication to keep the motivation levels high.

Each participant fills out a personal wellness profile online. The information is confidential and not accessible to employers or Argus. However, the raw data can be used to generate reports that help measure the impact of the programme.

For example you might enter that you have had two heart attacks, eat fried chicken every day and lots of butter and drink a litre of soda. This information would be accessible to Mrs. Burns but not your name.

The importance of this is that it enables her to collate the profiles and determine the biggest health concerns of a particular company. If 35 out of 50 employees in business A have these eating habits and do little to no exercise, the report would show a high risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure for employees at that company.

Mrs. Burns would then suggest specific programmes to help counter these risks.

While passionate about her work, she’s practical too. She explained that it is best to take things slowly and to try and change people’s behaviour, one step at a time.

The monthly challenges are another tool in the programme. Each month employees are given a single focus to try to stick to. It might be eating breakfast. By changing only one behaviour people are more likely to have success, she said. And by making the challenges four weeks long there’s real chance that the change will be long-term.

If we look at company A, despite the temptation to give them a monthly challenge to not eat any fried food — a more realistic goal would be for them to replace fried food in one meal, with whole grains.

Many companies on the programme also sponsor a monthly lunch meeting where staff bring in a healthy lunch and hear a health-related presentation. Group exercise activities are also arranged with the employer often giving free T-shirts for participants.

A colourful newsletter is sent to each employee every month as well as access to online sites that teach more extensive ways to manage your health and lifestyle.

In a bid to make the programme even more beneficial for the public, Mrs. Burns said she often sends out medical information on specific health concerns like diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma.

She’s also slated a brainstorming meeting this month for organisers of the programmes in the companies she works with. She wants to hear firsthand how the programme can work better.