Prevention Matters

Billed as "alcohol for the health-conscious" the new, patent-pending Devotion Vodka is being marketed to active, fitness-oriented individuals who also enjoy an active nightlife. But not everybody’s drinking to that. “The health argument this company and its president has latched onto and promoted – that alcohol is good for your health – has been debunked as myth,” says the California-based The Marin Institute: “Yet PR flacks and media outlets continue to push news stories like the introduction of Devotion as another example of the healthy benefits of alcoholic products.”

The CDC has received reports of email phishing scams referencing state sponsored vaccination programs, but the agency says no such program has been implemented requiring registration on CDC.gov. The email tells users they must create a personal H1N1 (swine flu) vaccination profile on the CDC.gov website. The message then says anyone age 18 or older must have his/her personal vaccination profile on CDC.gov. Users that click on the email risk having malicious code installed on their computer.

"The Case for Wellness Programs: From Evidence to Practice," a Dec, 3 meeting in Washington DC sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Partnership for Prevention, is available for viewing online at http://www.uschamber.com/webcasts/2009/091203_ncf_wellness2009.htm .

As the decade of the "oughts" is ending and the decades of the "teens" is about to begin, the media will no doubt be full of retrospective looks back over the past 10 years. The Daily Beast's Max Read has jumped into the fray, assembling a list of what he deemed to be the decade'[s 21 biggest medical breakthroughs. Prevention accounted for five of them. Those five are as follows:

• HPV Vaccine
• Human Vaccine against Bird Flu
• Discrediting the link between Autism and Childhood Vaccination
• Circumcision Discovered to Help Prevent HIV
• Pentacel - the 5-in-1 Childhood Vaccine

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Partnership for Prevention today released a new guidebook - Healthy Workforce 2010 and Beyond - to help employers plan, implement, and evaluate workplace health promotion programs that lower health costs and boost productivity.

“We are committed to improving the health status of American workers,” said Randy Johnson, Senior Vice President of Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “We can foster employee health by increasing the number of employers that include worksite health promotion and wellness programs in their benefits strategies.”

The book provides both private and public sector employers with information about the benefits of investing in worksite health promotion. It outlines current approaches and tactics that are supported by research findings or “promising practices” that are successful as part of wellness programs.

“Chronic diseases are significant drivers of health care costs, and a majority of American employees have at least one chronic condition,” said Partnership President Robert. J. Gould, PhD. “By practicing health management in the workplace, employers not only help workers live healthier lives, but they also improve employers’ bottom lines through reduced health costs and increased productivity.”

Using a program focused on tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse, physical inactivity, and obesity, the book explains how small, medium, and large organizations can take positive steps to achieve health objectives as part of a comprehensive health promotion program. It also highlights the current health status of American workers, and shows how to design workplace health programs that attain workforce health objectives.

The Senate voted 61-39 Thursday "to safeguard coverage of mammograms and preventive screening tests for women under any health care overhaul legislation." The revision, which was advanced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, "would allow the Health and Human Services secretary to require insurers to cover preventive health screenings free of charge."

The vote came in the wake of recent controversy over federal task force recommendations that women in their 40s consult with their doctors about the advisability of getting mammograms, rather than considering them a routine procedure. On a 59-41 vote, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to ensure the task force recommendations could be ignored.

Zac Bissonnette over at bloggingstocks.com says investors may find a path to profits by looking for companies that have wellness programs for their workers. He cites the 2009/2010 North American Staying@Work Report: The Health and Productivity Advantage from Watson Wyatt Worldwide.

"The study of more than 350 publicly traded U.S. and Canadian companies found that those with strong wellness and motivational programs had a total return to shareholders of 15% between 2004 and 2008," Bisonnette writes. "Shares of companies with the weakest programs lost an average of 10% over that time span. Revenue per employee was also higher at companies with strong wellness programs. Watson Wyatt notes that wellness programs lead to higher productivity and reduced sick days.