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By MARIE HOWARD - GUILFORD - Dave Hunnicutt, who carries a PhD behind his name, and President of Wellness Councils of America, stood before a gathering of about a dozen area corporate officers on May 30 at the United Methodist Church of Guilford. Hunnicutt was lean, obviously in good health, energetic and articulate. He came with a message about the sad state of America's health, health case costs, and what employers can do about it. The grim health statistics Hunnicutt cited at the forum included: Health care costs consume one-half of a company's profits; America's obesity is at an epidemic level; tobacco is the worst plague - one in five deaths are tobacco related, and 1,500 people die daily from smoking; 40 million Americans remain uninsured; by 2007 the nation's health bill is to expected to exceed $2.1 billion; 95 percent of Americans have no idea of what their health status is; one in four Americans have high blood pressure; 50 percent have blood cholesterol levels of more than 200 mg; one in five adults are overweight; and that only 65 percent of Americans use seat belts. Listeners represented officials from Guilford Industries, Moosehead Manufacturing, Mayo Regional Hospital, Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital & Nursing Home, Hibbard Nursing Home and Pride Manufacturing Co. "Of all the industrial nations on this planet, America ranks near the bottom of the list," Hunnicutt said "We're behind Syria in our health status." Then Hunnicutt got down to the nitty-gritty of Thursday's wellness program sponsored by Eastern Maine Healthcare (EMC) and Charles A. Dean Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home. Health care programs fostered by companies reduce medical costs and enhance employee productivity, he said and espoused a seven-step program to achieve those results, which among others include health care screening, creating supportive environments, writing a plan, and appropriate corporate-employee interventions. To the top of that must-do list, the necessary ingredient for success of a healthcare program was a company's CEO. he said. Throughout the presentation Hunnicutt stressed that a CEO must truly "care" about the health of the company's employees and realize the struggles workers face in their daily lives. Hunnicutt stated that a CEO is the single largest impediment to a program stating, "If you do not get him on board it will fail - he must support interest in wellness. It can not just be cost driven. He has to genuinely care." At the conclusion of Hunnicutt's presentation, David Hanson of Pride Manufacturing Co. of Guilford said that his firm has "struggled with these issues first-hand and have knowledge of four major employers in this area who have dealt with similar issues regarding health care. We have encountered the impediments discussed here today." Hanson also said employees are often "suspicious of an employer's motives" and also spoke of apathy regarding health care issues. Although given the opportunity, when the program was over no one asked questions. |