Health is more than a name

HEALTHY CHOICES: CVS Health Senior Consultant for Wellness Sheri Pensinger takes advantage of the seasonally changing, fresh offerings at a company cafeteria, part of a large set of programs designed to encourage health and well-being. / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY
HEALTHY CHOICES: CVS Health Senior Consultant for Wellness Sheri Pensinger takes advantage of the seasonally changing, fresh offerings at a company cafeteria, part of a large set of programs designed to encourage health and well-being. / PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

CEO (or equivalent): Larry J. Merlo, CEO and president

Number of employees: 139,919

In college, Andy Danesi was a runner – avidly participating in cross country and track, clocking between 70 and 90 miles a week.

But as can often happen, he graduated, accepted a job in the corporate world and, as he described it, slipped into a comfortable sense of complacency.

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“Before you know it, your lifestyle changes,” said Danesi, who is manager for customer loyalty and personalization at CVS Health Corp.

However, as is the case with many employees of the Woonsocket-headquartered company, he’s since been inspired to reverse that trend, now going to the gym every day and keeping track of his calorie count, “which is something I’ve never, ever done and never expected to do,” he said.

It’s only fitting that a company with “Health” in its name be wholeheartedly committed to that concept – and not just for its customers, but its tens of thousands of workers as well. Within the last few years, CVS Health has rolled out a number of programs and incentives to help its employees achieve a well-rounded sense of health and well-being.

One of the simplest ways employees can start on that journey is by participating in regular health screenings and assessments. They are highly incentivized to do so. If they complete both, they get a $600 reduction to their annual medical coverage. According to Sheri Pensinger, senior consultant for wellness, company employees have achieved a 90 percent completion rate in that area.

Meanwhile, workers have access to health coaching and weight-management assistance, a healthy-baby maternity program, free flu shots and various discounts at the company’s MinuteClinics.

Through the Path to Healthy Nutrition Program, they are also encouraged to improve their eating habits. According to Pensinger, seasonally changing healthy menu items are offered at a selection of the company’s cafes, catering, vending and retail outlets. As a result of employees’ healthier choices, 42.6 million fewer calories were consumed in 2015, and there was a 47 percent increase in fiber consumption due to a switch from white bread to whole wheat thins.

Another initiative is the smoking-cessation program “700 Good Reasons.”

Employees who test positive for tobacco in a voluntary urine test are enrolled in the program, while also putting forth $50 of their own money as collateral.

“When people actually put a little bit of skin in the game, their participation is a lot greater,” Pensinger said.

They are then tested again within six months, and a final time in 12 months. If they remain tobacco free, they are rewarded with $700, and they also receive their original $50 back.

As Pensinger noted, the program fits nicely with the company’s stance on tobacco: As of Sept. 3, 2014, all of its stores are free of tobacco products.

Meanwhile, numerous employees are taking health and wellness to the next level with the company-backed, volunteer-run FitClub. As Danesi, who is chairman of the club, explained, it started out unofficially in 2013 with a dozen or so employees who gathered to walk and run together.

Today there are 3,000 members across the country, 1,000 in Rhode Island alone.

Members participate in a “Couch to 5K” program to help them get active, have access to nutritionists and sit in on panels with top CVS Health executives who explain how they manage their high-stress, high-profile jobs. There are numerous FitClubs across the country, Danesi said, and they each come up with their own calendar of activities and events.

Danesi stressed that the groups are completely volunteer run and have the full backing of top-level management, who both fund and sponsor them.

As for his own journey, he said that the “energy, passion and enthusiasm” of both his colleagues and the company leadership “[have] rubbed off on me.”

Ultimately, the goal is to emphasize that health is a multifaceted concept, ranging from the physical to the nutritional to the emotional and mental.

“We want to make sure we’re encouraging colleagues and helping them understand that overall health and wellness isn’t just about one aspect of life,” Danesi said.

Going forward, the company plans to roll out a new mobile technology from Jiff Inc. to further increase employee engagement. The app is customizable to each company’s needs, providing incentives and metrics on employee use and progress.

“It’s set up to meet colleagues where they’re at,” said Pensinger. “We’re really hoping to see sustained engagement with this tool.”

“Our slogan is ‘Health is Everything,’ ” she added. “We just want to live and breathe what we preach.” •

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