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Wellness Program Management Advisor asked Patti Clavier, R.N., who leads Intel Corporation’s Global Health and Well-being (HW-B) Operations, to share the evolution of Intel’s HW-B program and management’s role in this process. Since its inception over 10 years ago, this grassroots program has offered a variety of health, safety and wellness programs. Clavier takes pride in the role she and Intel’s network of occupational health nurses played in the development of this program.

A major milestone in the program’s growth occurred in 1999 when Intel’s CEO experienced a medical event in his life. Disappointed by his own experience at finding credible online medical information, the CEO tasked Intel’s benefits organization with securing an online resource for company employees and their families.

Respected for its extensive health and wellness content and self-improvement tools, the Mayo Clinic e-Health Package was chosen as the company’s online health resource. Important to Intel was the site’s ability to place the company health risk appraisal (HRA) online, an important factor for encouraging employee participation.

Beyond this resource, the program continued to be very grassroots driven. Each year, the four most significant problem areas identified through the company-wide HRA were selected for such major initiatives as weight loss competitions and fitness challenges.

For many years, Intel’s occupational health team provided medical monitoring to employees working in factory settings. According to Clavier, "while the purpose was to make sure all work processes were safe, over time we realized that it was not environmental factors causing the problems. People’s behaviors emerged as the biggest factor." Factors such as obesity and tobacco use led Intel to transition from its medical monitoring model into the current model which focuses on prevention and lifestyle.

The HW-B organization was eager to build on this solid foundation and expand the program. The staff first had to present a strong case to management. A small internal cohort study of factory and manufacturing workers, representing a cross-section of Intel employees, was conducted at six U.S. sites. Besides performing laboratory and biometrics screenings and loading the information into the HRA, site nurses provided follow-up coaching with study participants. HRA and biometric results were compared between 2005 and this year, said Clavier. The findings showed that, as a group, participants either stayed the same in their risk factors or slightly improved.

The cohort study was so popular that staffing limitations forced the nurses to close enrollment. This enthusiasm and the study findings became a pivotal decision point for senior management, Clavier said. Employees obviously wanted and benefitted from such a program.

The HW-B organization routinely kept senior management aware of its programs. Decision-makers were provided with aggregate reports from the HRA and user activity from the Mayo Web site. Participation rates from all worksites’ initiatives were rolled into management reports. For instance, in 2005:

• Over 5,000 employees participated in the fitness challenge
• Over 6,000 pounds were lost during the 10-week program
• Almost three million minutes of exercise were reported

Clavier emphasized the importance of building this strong infrastructure before approaching senior management. "We were able to show over 33,000 unique users of our online resource last year, and the number is trending significantly higher this year."

Part of the infrastructure came through a formal reporting process. The HW-B team fed its information and proposals up to senior management through a management review committee. The committee consisted of:

• Global occupational health manager
• Global benefits managers
• Risk management director
• Environmental health and safety director
• Senior level "stakeholder" – a vice president and general manager who sponsors recommendations to the CEO

Along with demonstrating employees’ interest in accessing health information, Clavier said the HW-B team emphasized rising healthcare costs and how healthy employees positioned Intel to keep its competitive edge. "This approach blended beautifully with Intel’s overall benefits strategy. We strive to engage the employees in understanding what plans are available and the role they play in their healthcare. Whether it is proactive or reactive, they have a role."

Having fun is an important component of every initiative, Clavier said. Fitness competitions change a little each year to stay fresh and interesting. Participants are encouraged to choose fitness activities that appeal to them. Drawings for prizes are held for competition winners.

Often using testimonials from past participants, significant effort is put into keeping information about upcoming programs in front of the staff, she explained. Program participants receive motivational e-mails throughout any competition.

Aggregate HRA data is provided to worksite middle managers. They receive briefings on health trends, absenteeism, presenteeism issues and the value of optimizing human capital.

As a result of the efforts, factory managers quickly became advocates for the program and pushed their interest up to senior management. This was a major persuasion factor to get senior managementsupport, said Clavier.

In addition to the push from factory managers, Clavier’s group made senior management aware of rising healthcare costs and how other Fortune 100 companies were embracing such programs. Their goal was to help management recognize that encouraging lifelong habits of good health was a sound strategy for Intel’s young workforce.

Last month, the Intel Corporation program received the Institute for Health and Productivity Management award. The award recognizes organizational excellence in the application of health and productivity management principles and strengthening business competitiveness through improvements in employee health status.

Intel’s multi-disciplinary team of health promotion experts were ready to act when the opportunity presented itself this year. Buoyed by their successes and public recognition, management agreed to fund a fully integrated Web presence and personal coaching program. The program, called "Health for Life," will be launched next year, Clavier said.

"Health for Life" combines Intel’s existing online health resource with benefits information. In addition to obtaining their medical information, members can access preventive care programs, wellness interventions (including weight management and a walking program), as well as information on diseases, conditions and medication. Employees will receive biometric screening and roll the results into the online HRA. A contract health coach will provide follow-up onsite counseling.

Initially, this initiative will be offered to Intel’s 50,000 stateside employees. Once the infrastructure is in place overseas, the program will be extended to all international locations, Clavier said.

Clavier summarized the lessons learned at Intel:

• Involve people from all over the organization and with different backgrounds
• Don’t rush … be methodical in building your program
• Be sure the program supports the company’s strategic direction
• Provide support tools for employees’ goals and situation
• An online health resource is extremely valuable
• Provide a mechanism for people to understand their risks
• Benefits programs must align with the wellness program
• Integrate marketing and communication support throughout the organization

Addresses: Patti Clavier, Intel Corporation-Garden of the Gods Campus, Mail Stop GG1-3W-3492-H5, 1575 Garden of the Gods Road. Colorado Springs, CO 80907; (719) 685-1165, e-mail: patti.clavier@intel.com. Mayo Clinic Health Information Division, 200 First St. SW, Centerplace 5, Rochester, MN 55905; www.mayoclinic.com. Institute for Health and Productivity Management, 4435 Waterfront Drive, Suite 101, Glen Allen, VA 23060; (480) 607-2660, www.ihpm.org.

– Kathy Cash –