Politics & Government

City Encourages Staff Wellness With Fitness Rebate

City employees and their spouses each could receive $20 rebates toward fitness club memberships if they exercise at least 45 minutes 12 days per month.

City employees and their spouses each could earn a $20 monthly rebate to their fitness club membership if they work out at the club for at least 45 minutes on 12 days a month, under a proposed new wellness initiative.

The new health plan "perk" is intended to improve the health of city employees and reduce medical costs to the city's self-funded health plan.

"It's an investment worth trying," said Ald. Bob Reddin, chairman of the city's Human Resources and Public Safety Committee. "I think it will save us money in the long run."

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Aldermen heard about the details of the plan at at committee meeting Wednesday night. 

To participate, employees must take a wellness survey and talk to a wellness coach about potential issues from the survey. Then if an employee visits a fitness club and logs a total of nine hours of workouts a month — at least 45 minutes on 12 separate days, they will receive $20 reimbursement toward their membership.

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Spouses who do the same can also receive $20.

The program would be funded by a city wellness programming account containing $12,000, which would cover 600 monthly rebates. The pilot program would run from August through December 2012, said City Human Resources Director James Zwerlein.

The $12,000 in the wellness account includes flexible spending account contributions that city employees forfeited over the past 11 years by not submitting health care expenses to be funded by those contributions. 

Set-up cost would be $1,000 to $2,500 to pay a third-party administrator, who would then be paid by the health clubs to keep track of what days and time periods members visit the club. The administrator would send that information to the city to process the $20 rebates when applicable.

Any accredited health club could participate. Those already working with the third-party administrator on similar plans with private companies include Elite Sports Club, Bluemound Elite Fitness and Racquet Club, Anytime Fitness, Snap Fitness, YMCA and Gold's Gym.

Zwerlein said a contractor identified four major areas the city should focus on in order to improve its workers' health and reduce health costs: nuitrition, weight management, cancer prevention and fitness.

"Their top recommendation was to make some moves in the fitness area," he said. 

A review showed 57 percent of city employees were in danger of health problems from lack of fitness, he added. 

Zwerlein said the consutant, Health Solutions Inc. of Sheboygan, said "if people are overweight and they are not keeping physically fit, they are more prone" to health problems.


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