National Business Group on Health Names Leading Companies that Promote a
Healthy Workplace
PHILADELPHIA, May 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The National Business
Group on Health (NBGH), a national non-profit organization of large
employers, today named GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) a leader in providing a
healthy workplace and promoting a healthy lifestyle for employees and their
families.
GSK was among 52 employers to receive the Best Employers for Healthy
Lifestyles award at the Leadership Summit sponsored by the National
Business Group on Health's Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of
Obesity. GSK received a Platinum Award -- the highest honor -- for its
commitment to fostering a culture that supports healthy high performance.
"GSK's mission is to help people do more, feel better, and live
longer," said Ann Kuhnen, Vice President, Employee Health Management US.
"To accomplish this with our employees and their families, our goal is to
design programs and communication plans that support them in adopting
healthy lifestyle practices and making informed healthcare decisions."
Putting Employee Health in a National Context
The United States faces an enormous challenge in reforming its
healthcare system. But systemic solutions cannot be implemented without
addressing the underlying cause of the current healthcare crisis: the
epidemic of chronic diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease
and their complications.
These diseases are increasingly preventable, and largely treatable, yet
they account for the vast majority of healthcare spending. In fact, $3 of
every $4 spent on healthcare in the US(1) goes to treating the 45% of
Americans(2) with at least one chronic disease. That astonishing statistic
only includes treatment; the economic impact of chronic diseases, including
treatment and lost productivity, was $1.3 trillion in 2003.(3)
"The United States runs the risk of losing its competitive edge to the
epidemic of chronic diseases," said GSK's Christopher Viehbacher,
President, US Pharmaceuticals. "Employers can play a major role in
developing a healthier, more competitive workforce by designing health
benefits that encourage the prevention and better management of chronic
diseases and their costly complications. This is one of the guiding
principles of GSK's US health initiatives."
Energy, Resilience, and Healthy High Performance
GSK is committed to helping employees and their families live
healthier, more productive lives. This award recognizes the range of tools
and programs to support nutrition, physical activity, and other healthy
choices offered through GSK's TotalReward benefits or on-site through
Employee Health Management, and highlights GSK's commitment to offer
healthy food choices through food service providers.
GSK submitted a case study on long-term behavior change from the
recently launched "Energy for Performance" initiative which was piloted in
US Pharmaceuticals. Employee Health Management, in partnership with
Corporate Leadership and Organizational Development, launched this
innovative program that links energy and resilience with GSK's leadership
development framework so that employees are healthy, energetic, and fully
engaged both at work and at home for sustainable, healthy high performance.
"We are very pleased to honor GlaxoSmithKline for their innovation and
commitment to providing lifestyle improvement programs designed to
encourage healthier lifestyles for their employees," said Helen Darling,
President of the NBGH. "GSK and its management team should be proud of both
their initiatives and ongoing support of helping employees to choose a
healthier way of life."
Now in its fourth year, the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles
awards acknowledge and reward those employers that recognize the urgent
need to improve their workers' health, productivity, and quality of life.
The underlying goal of the program is to serve as a catalyst to encourage
all employers to take action.
Winners of the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards were
honored in one of three categories: Platinum, for established programs with
measurable outcomes; Gold, for creating cultural and environmental changes
that support employees who have made a commitment to long-term behavior
changes; and Silver, for those employers who have launched significant
programs or services to promote living a healthier lifestyle.
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world's leading research-based
pharmaceutical and health care companies, is committed to improving the
quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better, and live
longer.
About the National Business Group on Health
The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit,
membership organization of large employers devoted exclusively to finding
innovative and forward-thinking solutions to their most important health
care and related benefits issues. The NBGH identifies and shares best
practices in health benefits, disability, health and productivity, related
paid time off and work/life balance issues. NBGH members provide health
coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their
families. For more information about the NBGH, visit
http://www.businessgrouphealth.org.
(1) CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/overview.htm, accessed April 21, 2008.
(2) American College of Physicians.
http://www.acponline.org/hpp/costs_quality.pdf. Accessed September 18, 2007.
(3) The Milken Institute. http://www.chronicdiseaseimpact.com, accessed
April 21, 2008.
SOURCE GlaxoSmithKline
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