Help employees lower their risk of heart disease and heart attack through the Healthy Hearts Program, which includes education and group support.
Employees waste no time seeking help once they find out they have a serious health condition, or even worse, an increased risk of death. But they can only take action if they know of the risk in the first place.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure, while 38% have high cholesterol, two leading risk factors of heart disease.
“Heart disease is often referred to as a silent killer because having high cholesterol or high blood pressure is not normally something that’s associated with symptoms,” says Keena Zinn, Health Coach and Senior Program Analyst at Marathon Health.
With most employees spending the majority of their time at work, employers are in a unique position to address heart-related health concerns through education and wellness services, and for good reason.
Studies show cardiovascular conditions cost the healthcare system an estimated $137 billion in direct costs, with an additional $127 billion through lost productivity. Yet, when employers offer wellness services to address heart health, they see an ROI sometimes as high as $3.27 for every $1 invested on employee wellness.
Healthy Hearts Program Helps Employees Improve Lifestyle
Marathon Health created the Healthy Hearts program to help its members take control of their heart health and lower their risk of disease. The program focuses on education, group support and personalized lifestyle modification. With the help of their care team, the program provides ongoing support and focuses on achievable goals to help your employees succeed.
The eight-week program begins by covering the basics of how the heart works, while additional sessions dive deeper into key topics to care for the heart, including:
- Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol
- Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely)
- Eating a heart-healthy diet
- Increasing activity
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Managing stress
- Building a healthy environment
- Maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle
Employees Make a Long-term Impact on Heart Health
“We weave in calls to action and really engage participants in thinking about how they can apply the information to their own lives and where they feel like they can make some tangible improvements,” Zinn says. “We give them tools to set those S.M.A.R.T. goals and take a step approach over the course of the program to establish healthy behavior changes that have long-term impact on heart health.”
In conjunction with the group sessions, participants engage regularly with a Marathon Health provider or health coach. Zinn says taking an individualized approach with each employee drives success.
“We try to meet each participant where they’re at as far as setting goals that make sense,” Zinn says. “What we really hope to accomplish through this program is to support people and identify the things that matter to them related to their own personal heart health, and then educate them on how to make lasting behavior changes.”