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Duke supports faculty, staff and
their family members in practicing prevention through a broad range of health
management programs that emphasize a proactive approach to improving physical
and mental health and preventing disease before it happens.
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LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee
wellness program, offers a variety of wellness opportunities, such as health
assessments and education, smoking cessation programs, fitness activities and
nutrition activities, to help eligible faculty, staff and family members reach
their health and fitness goals. (LIVE FOR LIFE
Web Site, phone: 684-3136 Option 1, office: 04290 Red Zone, Duke Clinics).
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Duke Prospective Health, offered to
those enrolled in Duke Select and Duke Basic health care plans, is an approach
for delivering health care that emphasizes wellness, prevention of disease, and
early intervention. Duke Prospective Health works with participants and their
personal physicians to identify health risks they may face and help to prevent
diseases and chronic conditions before they happen. The program then assists
participants with creating a step-by-step plan to make the necessary changes to
maintain or improve their quality of life and achieve optimal health. (Duke
Prospective Health Web Site, phone: 1-888-279-9445).
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Blue Extras, a program provided by
Blue Cross Blue Shield to participants of Blue Care and Duke Options health
plans, offers a range of free health management services and programs to help
you take charge of your health and save money. (Blue Cross Blue
Shield Web Site, phone: 1-800-324-4980).
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Personal Assistance Service (PAS),
Duke's employee assistance program, offers assessment, short-term counseling and
referrals from a staff of licensed clinical social workers and psychologists to
help resolve a range of personal, work and family problems. Services are free
and confidential to Duke faculty, staff, and their immediate family members. (Personal
Assistance Service Web Site, phone: 416-1PAS). |
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Choices Today Can Impact Your Health and Wallet Tomorrow
Take Every Opportunity to Practice Preventive Health
Just admit it - you never got around to the New Year's resolution to work out three times a week. You still find yourself
pulling into the drive-through to order the hamburger and fries. And you're still planning to quit smoking any day now.
Odds are that you recognize yourself in at least one of the three scenarios above. According to N.C. Prevention Partners, an
agency of the N.C. Institute for Public Health, two-thirds of deaths from preventable diseases in North Carolina are related to
physical inactivity, inadequate nutrition or tobacco use. Almost 96 percent of adults in North Carolina have at least one of
these risky behaviors, placing the state near the bottom in the nation in addressing the issues that contribute to chronic disease.
Although chronic diseases are among the most common and costly of all health problems, they are also the most preventable.
"We make choices every day that affect our health and the risk of developing debilitating diseases and chronic conditions," said
George Jackson, MD, director of Employee Occupational Health & Wellness at Duke. "Practicing preventive health by maintaining or
developing healthy lifestyle habits and eliminating high-risk behaviors can reduce the chance of developing health problems.
Unfortunately many of us are making poor lifestyle choices that affect our health and increase the risk of developing chronic
diseases. By becoming more involved in our own health care and understanding our personal health risks, we can make better decisions
that will reduce the chance of developing more significant health problems later."
Making a commitment to change is a critical first step, and Duke offers a variety of programs and services to support faculty, staff,
and their families in taking this first step.
"One of the best ways to ensure you follow through on your commitment to improving your health is to start by setting small,
attainable goals and build on those positive results rather than trying to do too much at once," said Dr. Jackson. "Most people
only think about the short-term impact of eating fast food or postponing exercise. But those decisions can lead to serious health
conditions later, if not sooner, in life. The most important thing is to get started now, whether it's taking a walk or going to
the gym once a week or signing up for a smoking cessation program."
At Duke, three of the top five health care claim expenses of faculty, staff and family pertain to the treatment of chronic disease.
"The costs of Duke's health plans are directly related to the health and pharmacy claims of those covered by the plans," said Lois
Ann Green, director of Benefits. "Higher claims mean increased cost - for Duke and those covered by the plans. Duke covers the majority
of the cost for our health plans, but an increase in claims also means an increase in monthly premiums for faculty and staff."
One of the best ways to reduce claims cost, and thus, the rising cost of health care, is by practicing prevention. In many cases, more
expensive treatments and procedures could be avoided through regular visits to a primary care physician, a healthy diet and exercise,
and reducing other risky behaviors such as the use of tobacco.
"We want to create the healthiest workforce in the country," Green said. "And we have award winning and innovative programs and resources
available right here at Duke to do that. Through LIVE FOR LIFE, participants have seen a decrease in health risks such as blood pressure
and cholesterol and, in the first two years of the Duke Prospective Health program, we have seen improvements in the health and health
care costs for participants. The first step is raising awareness about how our health care decisions today impact our well-being and
health plan costs for the future. We want to set the standard for others to follow. Together we can make a difference in slowing the
rise in cost of health care and improving the health of our workforce."
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