BANGOR – Employers across Maine will soon have the opportunity to develop initiatives to improve their employees’ health with help from the Bangor Region Wellness Council.

The council announced Wednesday that it will expand its services statewide. Soon to change its name to the Wellness Council of Maine, the nonprofit organization provides guidance and support to businesses of all sizes looking to encourage employees to quit smoking, lose weight or give more attention to diet and exercise.

The council is a program of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce and is affiliated with the Wellness Councils of America and partnered with Eastern Maine Medical Center and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine.

From 2002 to 2007, the council grew from 11 to 86 member businesses, with a total of 28,031 employees. In 2006, the Bangor area was designated the first “Well Region” in the nation by the Wellness Councils of America.

“It’s our goal to see individual companies and individual employees make changes to improve lives and lower health care costs by promoting employee wellness within the business community,” said Katrin Teel, director of the BRWC.

For $365 a year, a business receives guidance from the council in developing and implementing a comprehensive work site wellness program, the chance to meet with other businesses to discuss workplace health promotion, access to a Web site owned by the Wellness Councils of America, and the opportunity to compete for national recognition for excellence in work site health promotion.

For about $300 more per year, the business gets more resources, the chance to participate in a mentor program with another business and on-site consultations from “wellness coordinators.”

Employee health data are kept confidential and employees and coaches measure and quantify employer progress. National WELCOA awards have been awarded to more than 30 of council’s business members.

Some businesses, such as Cianbro Corp. in Pittsfield, have taken the council initiatives a step further and offered discounts on health insurance premiums to employees who have met their self-imposed wellness goals.

There are a few other similar workplace wellness organizations in the state, including the University of Southern Maine’s Southern Maine Wellness Council, part of the USM Lifeline Center for Health and Wellness Promotion. Its director, Tom Downing, said he does not view the council as a competitor and hopes the various workplace wellness organizations “work in partnership with other regions as opposed to working against one another.”

As the Bangor Region Wellness Council prepares to expand its services, many of its member companies are already seeing measurable success, according to the council. A number of participants have seen progress improvements in the area of blood pressure, cholesterol, tobacco, stress reduction, diet and exercise. Some of the participating companies attribute their involvement with the Bangor Region Wellness Council and their own wellness program as helping to limit increases in health insurance premiums.

Dan Dauphinee, operations manager for Northeastern Log Homes in Kenduskeag, said in a recent interview that the program has improved employee morale.

“Participation has been great, and we have seen positive changes in six of eight metrics we use to measure good health and health habits,” Dauphinee said. “And from a business perspective, we have been quite successful in negotiating moderate premium increases, far below what is occurring in the market.”

For information on the wellness council, contact Teel at 947-0307 or e-mail at brccwellness@bangorregion.com.

aravana@bangordailynews.net

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