Free wellness program available for small-business employees in Ohio’s high-risk industries

Columbus, OH — Ohio workers in high-risk industries now have access to free health and wellness resources and services through a new program funded by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

Better You, Better Ohio! – which launched Feb. 1 and is managed by ActiveHealth Management, a subsidiary of Aetna – aims to reduce injuries and illness at work, improve employee health, and protect employers from the various costs associated with workplace incidents. Employees at organizations with 50 or fewer workers in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and other industries that have higher-than-average injury rates are eligible to participate in the program.

The program provides workers with resources to “take ownership” of their health and well-being through:

• Health and wellness awareness, education and training
• Health assessments and biometric screenings
• A member website that enables workers to customize health plans and track their progress to reach their health goals
• A mobile app for forming weekly action plans and receiving health tips

Employers, too, can expect benefits, according to BWC. These include prevention of injuries through improved workplace health and safety; improvement of recovery time after injury; and reduction of absenteeism, severity of injuries and lost work time.

“Research shows that healthy workers are less likely to be injured on the job, and if they are injured, they tend to have a faster, fuller recovery than workers with existing health challenges,” BWC CEO Sarah Morrison said in a Jan. 19 press release. “A healthy workforce contributes to a healthy business, so if we can create that environment across this state, Ohio will be better for it.”