Star Wellness helps City of Richardson and employees save on healthcare costs with early detection screenings.
The battle to control the rising cost of healthcare benefits has become a national priority, and the City of Richardson is taking the fight to the front lines.
Working with Star Wellness, the City of Richardson has made early detection and prevention screening a priority of its employee wellness program. And according to the City’s Wellness Coordinator, Chad Hierholzer, the program is already paying dividends.
“A wellness program is only effective if it is addressing the needs of a particular employee,” said Hierholzer. “That’s why early detection screenings are so important. It allows us to help an employee identify those areas where they need to focus their efforts, or better yet catch something early and prevent it from becoming chronic.”
Star Wellness provides City of Richardson employees with customized blood profiles and vascular screenings. Such on-site screenings provide personalized data on health indicators that are responsible for most of the top costly chronic diseases: Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer, Hypertension, Diabetes, Obesity, and Thyroid Disease to name a few. Research has shown that once individuals have knowledge of these specific indicators they are more likely to take action about their health than if they were to only receive general information on their health. In addition, it allows the employer and the employee to create a more personalized wellness program and plan.
From the detection of kidney stones before they had become an expensive (and painful) problem, to identifying potentially life-threatening issues, the partnership between the City and Star Wellness has helped motivate employees to create healthier lifestyles.
The payoff for Richardson, says Hierholzer, ultimately will be a healthier workforce that will be reflected in the City’s ability to keep the costs of benefits under control.
“Because healthcare costs continue to rise, more and more companies see wellness programs like the one the City of Richardson has developed as a necessity,” said Star Wellness founder and CEO Johnette van Eeden. “But we are not just helping businesses and organizations lower their healthcare costs, we’re also helping employees save on medical bills through cost avoidance in the long run.”
“Research shows prevention programs like this improve productivity, increase moral, and reduce absenteeism,” says Hierholzer. “We hope to enjoy those same benefits over time, and have already had great feedback from employees in the organization.”
“Early detection is key to controlling most diseases and, ultimately, the cost of treating them,” said Hierholzer. “I have seen a positive impact from combining our program with Star Wellness. There are folks at the City who credit our wellness program with saving their lives!”
