Certified Wellness Program
Introduction
The Indiana State Department of Health is pleased to announce a certified wellness program that Indiana small businesses may use to qualify for a new tax credit. This program seeks to recognize those businesses that are working to improve Indiana’s health status by providing wellness opportunities for their employees.
2008 Certification
The Indiana State Department of Health is accepting applications for both Registered Vendors and Certified Small Businesses. If you need further assistance, please click here to submit your question.
Should employers have a vested interest in health-related issues?
Increasing evidence supports health and wellness promotion programs in the workplace and more businesses than ever are implementing wellness strategies to reduce injuries, health care costs and long-term disability. With additional benefits such as reduced absenteeism, higher productivity and increased morale and loyalty, it is not surprising more and more employers are choosing to implement worksite wellness programs within their companies.
Although the United States spends more dollars on health care than any other industrialized nation, its citizens are far from the world’s healthiest. While the United States is thought to have some of the most advanced medical technology in the world, much of the illness and disease in this country is preventable. This has contributed to large increases in health care costs.
Source: Igelhard, New England Journal of Medicine, 1999
Poor health habits take an enormous toll on American business.
Consider the following statistics:
- It costs employers (on average) $1300 per year for an employee who smokes.
- Workplace alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use costs US companies over $100 billion each year.
- Up to 40% of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol consumption and alcoholism.
- Job stress is estimated to cost American industry $200-300 billion annually.
- National Safety Council estimates that 1 million employees are absent on an average work day because of stress related problems.
- Work injuries cost $121 billion in medical care, lost productivity and wages.
- At least 100 million workdays are lost each year to lower back pain; at a cost to employers of about $20 billion.
- A worker is injured every 5 seconds in the US.
- A worker is temporarily or permanently disabled every 10 seconds in the US.
Source: CDC.
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