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Healthcare Reform Update: Grants for Workplace Wellness Programs

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) creates a grant program to assist small businesses to provide comprehensive wellness programs. Grants will be awarded to eligible employers to provide their employees with access to new workplace wellness initiatives. The grants will be awarded beginning in 2011 with $200 million appropriated for a five-year period. An eligible employer is an employer that:

- Employs fewer than 100 employees who work 25 hours or more per week, and
- Did not have a workplace wellness program as of March 23, 2010 (date of PPACA's enactment).

The PPACA requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop program criteria that are based on research and best practices. A comprehensive workplace wellness program must be made available to all employees and include:

- Health awareness initiatives (including health education, preventive screenings, and health risk assesments)
- Efforts to maximize employee engagement (including mechanisms to encourage employee participation)
- Initiatives to change unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle choices (including counseling, seminars, online programs, and self-help materials)
- Supportive environment efforts (including workplace policies to encourage healthy lifestyles, healthy eating, increased physical activity, and improved mental health)

1.  Demonstrations & Classes : A demonstration has a minimum of one hour. It is primarily an experiential event where the participants are taught how to perform certain movements and positions such as with Tai Chi and Yoga. Other demonstrations would allow participants to experience the effects of the practice such as acupuncture and reflexology. Classes are weekly one hour sessions to teach a skill or to help people achieve health goals. CPR and First Aid Training are 4 hours at one time. 

                      

*Classes and demonstrations are only taught by licensed or credentialed practitioners!



Available classes:

. Nutrition
. Weight Loss
. Smoking Cessation
. Exercise
. Yoga
. Tai Chi
. Stress Management
. Back Health
. CPR
. First Aid
. Heart Risk Reduction Program
. Walking Program 



Seminar : Benefitsfair.net has an excellent core of health professionals who offer outstanding seminars and classes to corporations.  Seminars can be presented at the the lunch hour to interested employees or as part of a meeting or training class.  Seminars can be customized to meet the specific needs and circumstances of the company.  Seminars can be one hour or longer.  To achieve behavioral changes, consider scheduling a weekly series.  New seminar topics will be developed on request.


Step into fitness : Exercise is essential to good health. Regular exercise can reduce the risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity. Exercise can also reduce stress, improve sleep, and promote a more positive attitude. A walking program, using a pedometer, is one of the most cost effective ways to encourage people to exercise.

*After researching many pedometer options, the best pedometer for this program is a digital one that counts steps, has a clamshell design and a sturdy clip.

 

Stress topics :

. Balancing Work/Family
. Holiday Stress
. Managing Stress
. Dealing with Change
. Methods of Deep Relaxation
. Improving Communication
. Caring for the Caregiver
. Sleep for Health
. Time Management
. It's More than the Blues
. Improving Memory
. Optimism : Path to Success
. Preventing Burnout
. Stress and Heart Disease
. Survival Strategies for the Sandwich Generation
. Organizational Strategies
. Caring for elderly Parents
. Bi-Polar Illness


Wellness Reports : Health Risk Appraisals have been a very effective tool in personalizing an individual's health risks with specific recommendations for improving lifestyle habits. Benefitsfair.net has the ability to generate computerized wellness reports on a variety of important health issues, including :



. Fitness
. Women's Health
. Nutrition
. Stress
. Cancer
. Healthy Heart
. General Lifestyle

12 Week Risk Reduction : This 12 week Risk Reduction Program is designed to screen participants with a Lipid Panel that includes cholesterol, HDL, Triglycerides, LDL, Glucose to identify some of the heart disease risk factors. The Lipid Panel will be scheduled before and after the 12 week program sessions. The purpose of this program is to educate and motivate participants to make the necessary lifestyle changes that will reduce their risk factors.


Medical Self Care :  Medical Self Care is a program in which the participants receive a comprehensive Self-Care Book that makes them a more intelligent health care consumer. The book provides reliable medical information and guidance that can help people make better health decisions. The book. provides tips on prevention and when to get specific medical tests. There is also a section for children's medical problems. It is truly designed to help you make a decsions on whether to use self-care treatment or to see your doctor. Research has shown that when employees utilize the Self-Care Book it reduces the number of emergency room visits and physician office visits. Experience has shown that a seminar in which the book is demonstrated with examples gives the employees more confidence and appreciation for the book and increases the usage.


Ergonomics : People are spending more time on computers both at work and home which increases strain on the neck, back, wrists, shoulders, and eyes. If strain is not corrected it can lead to serious injury such as carpel tunnel syndrome. When employees are feeling strain and discomfort they will make more mistakes and be less productive. Benefitsfair.net can solve these ergonomic issues with cost effective programs instructed by skilled physical therapists.
*Preventing Back Injury
* Preventing Ergonomic Strain


Screenings : We offer a comprehensive list of screenings which include:
. Total Cholesterol
. Cholesterol/HDL
. Cholesterol/HDL/Glucose
. Lipid Panel with or without Glucose
. Glucose
. Vision
. Hearing
. Body Fat
. Pulmonary Function
. Sun Screening
. Carbon Monoxide
. Bone Density
. Hand Grip
. Biodots with Stress Information
. Computerized Wellness Reports
. Blood Pressure
. BMI
. Consultations with Table Displays : Breast health, Men's health, Nutrition, Exercise, Smoking, Back Care, Children's health.



Weight Loss Class : This is not a diet program! The emphasis is on making lifestyle changes, not to lose a certain amount of weight in a specific period of time. Participants will receive sound nutrition information in a motivational manner on every aspect important to healthy weight loss. Participants must be prepared to take an active role in changing their eating habits and increasing their exercise.



Topics including :

Facts about weight loss
What it takes to be successful
 The psychology of successful weight loss
 Learning to identify foods high in fat and calories
 Exercise
 Strategies for problem situations
 Healthy cooking
 Maintaining a long-term commitment


Diabetes Prevention Program : This program is an eight week behavioral change program. It meets weekly for one hour sessions.

Topics Including : 

Understanding Diabetes
 Diagnostic Diabetes
 Nutrition knowledge for diabetes/Weight loss strategies
 Carbohydrate needs and portion size
 Planning meals starting with Supermarket/Eating out/Eating healthy
 Exercise for weight loss and to reduce risk factors
 Healthy cooking/recipes
 Sticking with the program long term

    Healthy changes for life!


Exercise Classes : Participants will be expected to have a yoga mat and stretch bands for this class. In each class the instructor will lead appropriate exercises for strength, flexibility, and aerobic stamina. Safety and fitness level of the participants will be a determining factor for the exercises conducted in the class.



Topics including :

. A way to Health and Fitness
. Exercising in the winter
. Exercise through life
. Starting to exercise
. Exercise for busy people
. Fitness over 40
. Fitness walking
. Run-Jog for health/weight control
. Strength and Stretch
. Strength training
. Exercise without injury


Tai Chi Class : All participants should wear loose fitting clothes. The room should be large enough for the participants to have space to practice the movements.  This class will meet once a week for one hour. Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of mind/body exercise as well as a system of self-defense. It is a slow motion pattern of choreographed moves. It has been widely known for it's many health benefits. The benefits are improving your balance and flexibility, improved fine and gross motor skill, increased strength, improved posture and carriage, and a renewed sense of mind/body integration. Tai Chi is a meditation in motion and affords an oasis from the stressful demands of modern life, as well as getting in touch with the inner self.





Nutrition Education Classes : The objective is to teach and motivate participants to change their nutrition habits so that they and their families will eat healthier foods that will help lower the risks for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. This class will meet once a week for one hour with 8 sessions.

    Topics including :

. Nutrition basics
. Food shopping
. Sorting out fats
. Sorting out carbohydrates
. Dining out
. Cooking healthy
. Vitamins, minerals and supplements
. Eating to lose weight


Stress Management Class : The goals of this program are to have participants identify their stressors and ways they usually deal with stress, develop and practice more effective stress management strategies, learn how the mind in it's interpretation of events can increase or decrease stress levels, learn and practice relaxation and meditation techniques. Participants will receive a stress test to measure progress in reducing stress. 


Yoga Class :  The objective of the yoga class is to increase strength, flexibility and overall wellness, to learn relaxation/stress reduction techniques. All participants are requried to have a yoga mat and wear loose, comfortable clothing. The yoga instructor will only teach positions that are safe and suitable to the fitness level of the class.




Be a Winner by Being a Big Loser : This program is designed to help individuals make lifestyle changes to achieve safe weight loss and become healthier. It is expected to be fun and utilize the strong support of being part of a team.


    We want you to be successful forever!