The county saved $344 in health care costs in 2011 for every employee and family member par-ticipating in a health and wellness program begun in 2005, said Dr. Brian Harrison, medical director of health and productivity management for Affinity Health System.

Harrison oversees the county's employee wellness program, which has earned two state awards as well as recognition from the American Heart Association for encouraging improvement in employee health.

The county board approved the wellness program and an annual health risk assessment in 2005 as a way to fight skyrocketing health insurance costs.
"It's not just a one-time-a-year focus on wellness," said Patrick Glynn, county human resources director.
Harrison told county supervisors on Dec. 20 that the 2011 version of the annual health risk assessment shows Calumet County all but flattened its health care costs over the past four years.

Health insurance claims billed for both participants and non-participants in the county's health insurance rose 0.2 percent from 2007 to 2011.

"That's much different than the trend you hear about in the news," Harrison said.

Harrison said 323 of 428 eligible people with an average age of 46 par-ticipated in the assessment, including 185 employees and 138 spouses.

He said participants scored three gold stars in the most recent assessment by increasing levels of HDL (good cholesterol) and decreasing LDL (bad cholesterol).

Participants lowered their already very low use of tobacco products. Harrison said nine percent of county employees and their spouses use tobacco products as compared to the state average of 19.5. percent.

Of those who smoke, 36 percent report smoking one-half pack of cigarettes or more each day. That compares to 29 percent in 2010.

"High risks mean high costs," Harrison said. "But more people are living less risky lifestyles."

The survey shows more people than ever use seat belts. Just 6.5 percent of participants in the program admitted to not wearing seatbelts, compared to a statewide average of 26 percent, according to the state Department of Transportation.
"Employees are getting smarter," Harrison said.

On the down side, blood sugar levels showed an increase, with read-ings at or above 100, nearly doubling from 10.6 percent in 2010 to 18.8 percent in 2011.
An estimated 20 percent of county employees and spouses in the health risk assessment engage in binge drinking. The good news is the percentage of binge drinkers dropped from 30 percent to 20 percent between 2010 and 2011.

"We have a huge problem with binge drinking in Wisconsin," Harrison said.
Despite reports of binge drinking, 50 percent of the participants say they exercise at least four days a week, up from 34 percent in 2008.

And absenteeism at work is improving, the study shows.

"It's a result of hard work on part of our employees over the last four to five years. We're beginning to reap the benefits of that hard work," Glynn said. "If they are sick less it just stands to reason they will be at work more."

Glynn said wellness is becoming a lifestyle for more employees, and the health risk assessment identifies deviations from normal conditions.

"The assessment establishes benchmarks and allows us to focus our educational efforts on specific conditions, such as diabetes," Glynn said. "It allow us to fine tune the needs we really have to address."

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