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The future is bright for the wellness management and health promotion professions say those who are working in the field. Such career assessments as more opportunities, continued growth, lots of room for growth, increased importance in the workplace, the "sky is the limit" and a growing profession, were among the positive and glowing comments by managers who responded to the Workplace Wellness Management Leadership Survey.

"The duties and responsibilities of the wellness manager will increase as the costs of medical expenses increase," believes a utility company benefits generalist.

"I see an increasing need and value to our profession with the sky-rocketing healthcare costs," said a hospital lead health promotion coordinator.

"Continued growth," offered a corporate manager of employee wellness. "More internet education," said Connie Peterson, a health plan prevention specialist.

There will be "lots of room for growth. Lots of potential to have a real positive impact on the lives of covered employees," said the proposal manager for a wellness company. "Responsibilities should grow; credibility should increase; accountability will be more."

"I see the wellness management profession growing and becoming more an integral part of the corporate world. Its benefits are so far reaching," believes Jerilyn Jefferis, a company wellness specialist.

"With the support of managed care we have a great opportunity," offered a health plan executive director of corporate health.

Marj McKinty, development director for a family medicine residency program and clinic with related healthcare services for families, forecasts "increased importance in our workplace, and increased pressures to respond to employee needs and demands."

Focus On Benefits Of Wellness Programs

There will be an "increased focus on cost/benefit verification and a challenge to outreach regarding the benefits of increased wellness programming," according to Philip G. A. Leake, a hospital program coordinator for a preventive health and wellness center.

Nancy A. Haller, manager of a state government wellness program, said she would like to see "the health promotion manager be utilized more with the physicians and augment health and productivity management skills with the physician skills in better educating their clients, more one-on-one coaching(mentoring) on specific health issues, tracking of clients."

"The bar will be raised for requiring more specific education in disease prevention and management and we will be expected to develop business plans and to become profit centers," foresees a hospital wellness coordinator.

A government senior staff specialist sees "more connectivity and sharing among peers as a way of replicating working models, etc."

"Either incredibly high times of need and acceptance or a continued difficult road with justifying wellness programs," believes an insurance carrier health and wellness consultant.

Wellness will continue to grow in popularity and importance, said a hospital wellness coordinator.

"Wellness managers are going to become organizers and team creators. They cannot do it all alone and are going to need to call on a variety of people to help spread consistent messages to people regarding their health and wellness," the respondent said.

Pressure To Get More People Involved

Carrie Frank, human resources coordinator with a cooperative utility, told us she sees "more and more pressure to develop programs and initiatives to get people involved and help them make medical decisions."

"Who knows, maybe one day, when a person is looking for a job, they won’t only be interested in the pay and benefits but also the wellness program," she added.

Meanwhile, in Australia the outlook is a "very rosy one as wellness as a concept and wellness in the workplace is just now becoming a thing to be involved in – still a long way to go, but the ball has started to roll," reported a university wellness manager.

"This is a growing field," summed up the feelings of Judy Rasnake, a hospital health promotions director.

The profession will face "greater demands to do more (i.e., programmatic initiatives) with less (i.e., funds and resources)," according to an employee assistance director and administrator of employee, organization and workforce enhancement with a government agency.

Managers will have to "aggressively monitor programmatic efforts in terms of both cost offsets and reductions, and performance outcomes (i.e., improved wellness and health of employees)," the EAP manager said.

Outcomes, Measures, Meaningful Behavior Changes

A director of health promotion and wellness for a wellness services company ticked off the following:

• Increasing focus on outcomes measurement

• Need to go beyond just measuring participation and to generating meaningful and sustainablebehavior change

• Entertainment type strategies for generating participation and engagement

"Advances in population health management, progress in programs that address health and productivity, better online education choices for consumers," said a respondent from the corporate side. "More expectation from businesses that wellness managers know more about business, benefits, retention, etc."

Finally, one corporate manager of health promotions responded: "Would like to see higher salary averages across the board. Our profession should become increasingly more important with the rise in obesity and healthcare costs throughout the country."

The exclusive results have been compiled from the Workplace Wellness Management Survey conducted among subscribers to Wellness Program Management Advisor and Wellness Junction Professional Update.

Address: Wellness Program Management Advisor, 1913 Atlantic Ave., Suite F5, Manasquan, NJ 08736; (732) 292-1100, www.wellnessjunction.com.