Press Release
September 2, 2009
PAMF and Bay Area Construction Firm Launch Employee Wellness Program in Santa Cruz
What happens when a workforce collaborates with a team of doctors to focus on preventive health and weight loss? Workers lose weight, improve their cholesterol and blood pressure levels and workplace injuries decrease. This was the outcome of an innovative workplace wellness program created by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Graniterock, a Watsonville-based construction materials and services company.
When Henry Thai, M.D., an Internal Medicine doctor at PAMF’s Palo Alto Center, first met Bruce Woolpert, CEO of Graniterock, Woolpert was overweight and faced hypertension. By working with Dr. Thai and making small adjustments to his diet and lifestyle, Woolpert lost 40 pounds and normalized his blood pressure. Woolpert was so inspired that he wanted all of his employees to have access to the same care.
“For companies like Graniterock, investing in preventive medicine, such as a weight loss and exercise program, is both socially responsible and important in reducing health care and workers compensation costs,” says Dr. Thai.
To replicate Woolpert’s experience, PAMF launched the “(Healthy)me: Healthy to the Power of Me” employee wellness program. Dr. Thai created an educational booklet for Graniterock about weight management, exercise and a healthy diet. He also recruited doctors from the PAMF network, including local Santa Cruz doctors, to provide on-site care at Graniterock locations in the Bay Area. The pilot program began in June 2008 and ran for six months. Due to the great success of the program, Graniterock committed to extending the program in 2009.
Graniterock team members who signed up for the program were screened for health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The doctors reviewed their results and helped them set personal goals, such as fitting into a favorite pair of jeans.
Participants then worked with their doctors to develop individual lifestyle modifications to help reach these goals. At follow-up visits, team members were offered additional tips to either continue their progress or get back on track.
“A lot of diet plans are too complicated to be effective,” Dr. Thai says. “Instead, we concentrated on a small number of simple changes, such as having frequent snacks in between meals to avoid the temptation to overeat and at the same time increase the basal metabolic rate.”
The results were grand. Graniterock team members lost a total of more than 1,300 pounds, their cholesterol and blood pressure levels improved and workplace injuries decreased. And the employees were gratified with the program.
“The program was great and I’m really glad I joined. I have had challenges with staying up on my exercise, but the PAMF team’s encouragement to get in a routine and eat healthy will not be forgotten,” said Kyle McLean, project engineer at the Pavex San Jose office.
Because the (Healthy)me program began with screenings and consultations, employees were involved and informed from the onset, related Diana Villegas, who works in the Accounting Services department at the Graniterock corporate office in Watsonville. “The explanation of my screening results was understandable and I appreciate all of the encouragement provided,” said Villegas.
Graniterock saw high-risk levels drop: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) reduced by 10 percent, triglyceride reduced by 5 percent, and cholesterol/HDL by 5 percent. Furthermore, recommended glucose levels were increased by 6 percent, diabetic levels of glucose were reduced by 4 percent, and body fat percentage levels in obese males were reduced by 10 percent.
“The program formulated and implemented by Dr. Thai was just the right blend of well-delivered advice and regular physician follow-up that encouraged individual success. Our team members will no doubt benefit from a higher quality of life into their older age,” said Woolpert.
For more information, contact:
Keith Severson, 831.768.2063
When Henry Thai, M.D., an Internal Medicine doctor at PAMF’s Palo Alto Center, first met Bruce Woolpert, CEO of Graniterock, Woolpert was overweight and faced hypertension. By working with Dr. Thai and making small adjustments to his diet and lifestyle, Woolpert lost 40 pounds and normalized his blood pressure. Woolpert was so inspired that he wanted all of his employees to have access to the same care.
“For companies like Graniterock, investing in preventive medicine, such as a weight loss and exercise program, is both socially responsible and important in reducing health care and workers compensation costs,” says Dr. Thai.
To replicate Woolpert’s experience, PAMF launched the “(Healthy)me: Healthy to the Power of Me” employee wellness program. Dr. Thai created an educational booklet for Graniterock about weight management, exercise and a healthy diet. He also recruited doctors from the PAMF network, including local Santa Cruz doctors, to provide on-site care at Graniterock locations in the Bay Area. The pilot program began in June 2008 and ran for six months. Due to the great success of the program, Graniterock committed to extending the program in 2009.
Graniterock team members who signed up for the program were screened for health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The doctors reviewed their results and helped them set personal goals, such as fitting into a favorite pair of jeans.
Participants then worked with their doctors to develop individual lifestyle modifications to help reach these goals. At follow-up visits, team members were offered additional tips to either continue their progress or get back on track.
“A lot of diet plans are too complicated to be effective,” Dr. Thai says. “Instead, we concentrated on a small number of simple changes, such as having frequent snacks in between meals to avoid the temptation to overeat and at the same time increase the basal metabolic rate.”
The results were grand. Graniterock team members lost a total of more than 1,300 pounds, their cholesterol and blood pressure levels improved and workplace injuries decreased. And the employees were gratified with the program.
“The program was great and I’m really glad I joined. I have had challenges with staying up on my exercise, but the PAMF team’s encouragement to get in a routine and eat healthy will not be forgotten,” said Kyle McLean, project engineer at the Pavex San Jose office.
Because the (Healthy)me program began with screenings and consultations, employees were involved and informed from the onset, related Diana Villegas, who works in the Accounting Services department at the Graniterock corporate office in Watsonville. “The explanation of my screening results was understandable and I appreciate all of the encouragement provided,” said Villegas.
Graniterock saw high-risk levels drop: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) reduced by 10 percent, triglyceride reduced by 5 percent, and cholesterol/HDL by 5 percent. Furthermore, recommended glucose levels were increased by 6 percent, diabetic levels of glucose were reduced by 4 percent, and body fat percentage levels in obese males were reduced by 10 percent.
“The program formulated and implemented by Dr. Thai was just the right blend of well-delivered advice and regular physician follow-up that encouraged individual success. Our team members will no doubt benefit from a higher quality of life into their older age,” said Woolpert.
For more information, contact:
Keith Severson, 831.768.2063
