At a recent conference hosted by Cigna (NYSE: CI), nearly 150
Denver-area employers and brokers met to address two key issues
impacting the health of Colorado’s population: health improvement in the
workplace and the mental health of Colorado’s children and teens.
“Cigna is committed to driving health improvement and lowering costs by
offering our employer clients a variety of benefit options, including
consumer-driven health plans, incentivized wellness strategies and
networks that reward quality and effectiveness,” Kim Bimestefer,
president and general manager for Cigna in Colorado, stated to the
attendees. “We work closely with each employer client to understand
their unique needs and provide customized solutions to meet those needs.”
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 52,000
children in Colorado live with serious mental health issues. In fact,
according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment,
suicide is the second-leading cause of death for youth (ages 10-24) in
the state.
During the forum, Stuart Lustig, M.D., Cigna's lead medical
director for child and adolescent behavioral health, talked about the
rise in mental health issues among Colorado’s children and teens. He
also shared key findings from the Cigna
Foundation – NAMI Forum, held in Washington D.C. in June, including
the need to expand access to mental health services throughout the
community. For example, offering mental health programs in schools gives
kids the opportunity to receive care in a familiar environment and can
aid in early detection and treatment. To view a full replay of the
forum, please visit www.NAMI.org/childrensmhforum.
Susan Birch, executive director of the Colorado Department of
Health Care Policy and Financing, encouraged attendees to consider how
they can help improve the health of their communities. Keynote speaker Dr.
Terry Wahls, clinical professor of medicine at the
University of Iowa, talked about the science behind health improvement
and discussed how diet and lifestyle contribute to chronic conditions
such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and
multiple sclerosis.
Attendees also learned ways to manage health care costs, such as
identifying physicians that provide quality, cost-effective care and
creating benefit designs that encourage employees to seek care at places
that offer the best value. Other topics covered at the forum included an
overview of private exchanges and how they can impact employers and an
introduction to Cigna's private retail exchange in Colorado.
Patricia Maley, first vice president and director of human resources for CoBiz
Financial, talked about the company’s work with Cigna to
implement a health and wellness strategy. Notable achievements included
increasing the number of employees that completed annual physicals to 95
percent and having more than half of the staff (57 percent) complete
health risk assessments.
“The key to our success is the support and endorsement of our executive
team,” said Maley. “Our leaders are directly involved in our wellness
program, which helps drive employee engagement in health and wellness
activities.”
CoBiz Financial was one of three companies to receive the annual Cigna
Well-Being Award for their commitment to creating a culture of
health through their wellness program. AlloSource
and Associates
in Family Medicine were also selected as winners. Six companies
were among the finalists, including City of Westminster, Oakwood Homes,
Sorin Group, Sterling-Rice Group, Sunrise Medical and Weld County
Government.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S.
employers lose more than $225 billion each year in productivity due to
employee health problems. Cigna created the Well-Being Award to
recognize employer clients that have a positive impact on the health and
well-being of their workforce.
About Cigna
Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company
dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense
of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or
through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life
Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna
Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include
an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental,
behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other
related products including group life, accident and disability
insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and
jurisdictions, and has more than 80 million customer relationships
throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to
follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2014