Willow Star Haven is in the business of health and nutrition counseling even as we continue to work on finding the land to develop our foundation project (more info on our project is available on the website). In the counseling I am challenged to work with people on "preventative maintenance"--becoming healthy in order to prevent chronic illness.
I am convinced that more than the "idea of health" is required to motivate people to make the changes required to establish good diet and exercise habits. In this post I want to spotlight an Orlando company that has made employee wellness a priority and in the process has had annual savings of $8 to $10 million to their bottom line while saving the employees considerable money-- and making them healthier-- in the process.
In 1991 Rosen Hotels and Resorts established a self-insured associate healthcare program along with an on site company-owned and operated medical center that now boasts a patient base of 6,800 (including 4,500 Rosen associates and their dependents, as well as serving two local colleges). The benefits? In addition to the annual $8-$10 million cost savings, the company saves $8 for every $1 it puts in to the medical center; retains employees at a rate the rest of the hospitality industry envies; and has worker compensation costs at about half the hospitality industry average.
Employee direct benefits range from very low health insurance premiums, $5 copays, complimentary diagnostic testing, complimentary smoking cessation programs and complimentary pediatric care. Medical appointments can be made the same day and are "on the clock". Nurses are on call 24/7 for employees and their dependents and medications are often available at no cost at the on site medical center. Wellness and exercise programs are also made available to employees.
Sharing the Health (and wealth): Harris Rosen's experience in self-insuring his company led to the development of ProvInsure, an independent insurance agency that assists other companies and individuals with reducing their total cost of risk. In 2009 he added Rosen Healthcare Solutions to create employee based primary care medical centers for other businesses with a focus on the same comprehensive services and focus on preventative care and wellness exemplified by their own successful program.
Programs like this in the private sector are extremely important if we are to turn the tide on the health crisis that threatens our individual and national well being. More information on ProvInsure and Rosen Healthcare Solutions can be found at www.provinsure.com and www.rosenhealthcaresolutions.com . Thanks to Ashley Bacot, President of ProvInsure, for taking the time to educate me about these programs.
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Kimberly Kirschner is a founder of the Willow Star Haven Charitable Foundation. She is certified in Health and Nutrition Counseling by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, and received a Fellowship in Integrative Oncology in 2010 from A4M, the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
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