For Immediate Release

Delta Systems Launches
Acclaimed Employee Wellness Program

           Streetsboro, OH—Delta Systems is taking an important step in controlling healthcare costs and helping its employees feel better. The company has implemented a wellness program aimed at helping employees achieve and maintain a healthy body weight—or, if they’re already at a healthy weight, helping them to develop good health habits that increase their chances of staying that way.
“Many of the health and stress problems that strike employees are connected to obesity,” says CEO Lissa Barry. “Companies are starting to realize that instead of shopping around for lower cost insurance or dropping it altogether, it makes more sense to promote good health among their employees. So that’s what we’re doing at Delta.”

           The engineered electrical solutions provider is participating in Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.®, a wellness program developed by T. Gilliam & Associates of  Hudson, Ohio. The program has been written about in major newspapers and magazines nationwide and has attracted national attention for its practical approach to weight loss and promotion of good health habits. The program is designed to educate participants on the right way to achieve a healthy body weight and keep it off—through sound nutrition and regular exercise.

           The program started in April and will continue for 24 months. Why? Because that’s how long it takes for an obese person to safely achieve a healthy body weight and create the lifelong habits necessary to maintain it. All 225 employees were invited to take part in the program.

           Interestingly, because obesity tends to be a family problem, the program also targets the children of employees with kid-friendly information on health issues.
Here are a few of the components that Delta Systems employees are benefiting from:

* An informative book—Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.: Achieve a Healthier Workplace One Employee at a Time! (T. Gilliam & Associates, LLC, 2005, ISBN: 0-9762703-0-7, $19.95), by Thomas B. Gilliam, Ph.D., and Jane Neill, R.D., L.D.—that serves as the “cornerstone” of the wellness program.

* A “train-the-trainer” program that invites employees to get involved in administering Move It. Lose It. Live Healthy.®

* Brown bag sessions, led by professional exercise physiologists and dietitians, aimed at educating employees on various aspects of fitness and nutrition.

* Quarterly newsletters packed with helpful diet and exercise tips.

* Weekly “You Can Do It” challenges to inspire employees and keep them focused.

* An individual body weight tracking system—Web enabled and confidential.

* Motivational/educational posters placed throughout the company.

            Barry hopes to see employees get really enthusiastic about the program: exchanging recipes, forming exercise groups, and even engaging in some friendly department-vs.-department competition.

            “This program represents a great opportunity for everyone,” she says. “Yes, we are hoping to control healthcare costs, but we also see it as a way to really make a positive difference in our employees’ lives. Healthier employees are happier employees and that’s good for everyone: the employees themselves, their families, the company, the customers . . . it really is a win/win situation.”