SAN DIEGO, April 18, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Healthyroads, Inc., the wellness subsidiary of leading personal health improvement company American Specialty Health (ASH), announced that it has been selected by Jenkins Athens Insurance Services (Jenkins Athens) in Concord, Calif., to provide the Healthyroads Coaching Programs for Weight Management, Tobacco Cessation, and Healthy Living to the insurance broker's 200-plus employees, all based in California.
The Healthyroads Coaching Programs feature telephone-based motivational and goal-oriented coaching, plus assistance in setting and tracking employees' health and wellness goals. And for Jenkins Athens employees with bariatric (weight loss) surgery coverage available through their individual health plan, Healthyroads' registered dietitians, certified personal trainers, registered nurses, and other health coaches can help address the diet, exercise, and lifestyle challenges that accompany this surgery.
Also included are a variety of online tools providing e-communication, health status trackers, and health resources. An extra program feature allows Jenkins Athens employees to receive discounts of up to 40 percent off MSRP on more than 2,400 health and wellness products -- including nutrition bars, homeopathic remedies, tobacco cessation tools, and fitness equipment -- available online at Healthyroads.com(r).
To encourage continued participation, Healthyroads offers Jenkins Athens employees the opportunity to take part in the wellness subsidiary's Get Healthy! National Awards Program. This program awards prizes such as a shopping spree or a new car to selected participants from across the country who demonstrate the most significant improvement in their health through their use of the Healthyroads Coaching Programs.
A final, key component of the wellness solution selected by Jenkins Athens is the Healthyroads health risk assessment (HRA), a convenient tool that employees can use to assess and improve their health. Upon completion of the HRA, employees receive a customized report outlining steps they can take to begin leading a healthier, more active lifestyle. Employees can then work with their Healthyroads coach to determine the healthy nutrition, exercise, and stress management goals that are right for them. In addition, aggregate HRA data can be shared with the employer to help it better evaluate -- and act on -- the health status of a particular workforce.
According to ASH chairman, president, and chief executive officer George DeVries, the value of including an HRA in an employer's overall wellness solution is reflected by a study published in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. In the study, researchers found that wellness programs that include an HRA component can significantly reduce health care costs -- to the tune of hundreds of dollars a year per person. Of the nearly 60,000 retirees and their aged dependents who participated in the study, those who used an HRA in combination with telephone-based coaching or another wellness intervention saw an average annual cost savings of over $400 in Medicare-paid health spending.
"By selecting Healthyroads as its wellness vendor and including a health risk assessment in its overall wellness solution, Jenkins Athens has demonstrated that it is one of the nation's most progressive employers focusing on workplace wellness," DeVries added. "Jenkins Athens is committed to improving employee health over the long term, and we are pleased to partner with this organization as it seeks to help its employees lead healthier, more active lives."
About Jenkins Athens
The Jenkins Athens Group delivers fully integrated Risk Management, Employee Benefits and Claim solutions. The Jenkins Athens Group is comprised of Jenkins Athens Insurance Services, Athens Benefits Insurance Services, Inc. and Athens Administrators, Inc. Headquartered in Concord, CA, with offices in Sacramento and Palo Alto and over 240 employees, the Jenkins Athens Group is one of the largest and most well-respected insurance services firms in Northern California.
For more information visit Jenkins Athens online at www.jenkinsathens.com or call 800.234.6363.
About American Specialty Health
ASH and its subsidiaries provide benefit, fitness, and wellness programs to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds nationwide. Healthyroads, Inc. is ASH's wellness, health education, and e-commerce subsidiary, offering award-winning weight management, tobacco cessation, and healthy living programs.
Based in San Diego, ASH has over 500 employees and covers more than 12 million members in benefit programs and more than 500,000 members in wellness programs. For more information, visit ASH online at ASHCompanies.com or call 800.848.3555.