As the cost of health care rises nationwide, Cy-Fair-area employers are placing a more dedicated emphasis on the health of their employees. In addition, the community has seen a rise in health-related businesses in Cy-Fair.

More employers have begun to offer corporate wellness programs that educate and track employees based on  health choices, Cy-Fair officials said. Office wellness programs target health issues such as nutrition, exercise, blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

“An investment in corporate health and wellness is an investment in your employees,” said Jennifer Borders, system director of Houston Methodist Wellness Services. “This awareness can lead to early detection of health concerns and often prevent them from developing at all. Corporate wellness can also serve as a great employee satisfaction tool when a culture of health and wellness is promoted within an organization from the very top.” 

Research from the nonprofit Texas Business Group on Health shows wellness programs are increasingly permeating the Houston business scene. In 2015, the group found more than 70 percent of surveyed employers statewide offered some kind of wellness program, up from 58 percent in 2008.

Cost incentives

Rising costs of health care premiums throughout Houston are a significant factor when businesses decide to provide corporate wellness programs for employees, said Amy Kalban, director of wellness programs at the Houston-based Cypress Associates.

“One of the reasons that [Cypress Associates] got involved with corporate wellness programs was because of the [Affordable Care Act] and because rising health care costs make reasonable health care almost unaffordable,” Kalban said.

Wellness programs help reduce absenteeism, employee turnover and insurance premium costs, said Rebecca Hughes, director of corporate, executive and wellness programs at the Houston-based Kelsey-Seybold Clinic.

“Health care is a significant cost for employers, especially if they have a lot of employees,” Hughes said. “Work is where [employees] spend the most of their time. If you get them to take care of preventable issues and make positive lifestyle changes through corporate wellness and educational programs, that effort can help reduce the company’s health care cost over time.”

In 2014, a new ACA rule went into effect that allows employers to provide employees with incentives of up to 30 percent of the total cost of an employee’s premium coverage for participating in wellness programs. The law previously allowed incentives to cover up to 20 percent.

These rules also allow for the increase of the maximum reward to as much as 50 percent for programs designed to prevent or reduce tobacco use.

“More people are becoming aware of the [idea] that health can be preventive.”

—Dr. Sharon Kapp, Houston Yoga and Ayurveda Wellness Center owner

Corporate wellness programs are often tied to financial incentives to ensure employee participation, Hughes said. Education is often not enough to encourage employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle, she said.

“Education on better health is a great start, but in reality most [people] are already educated on healthy lifestyles and know the importance of routine checkups,” Hughes said. “If [employers] feel strongly about health care in the workplace, then [they] have to go a step above and maybe put some skin in the game and offer a monetary reward. Sadly, we shouldn’t have to pay people to take care of themselves, but we do.”

An additional ACA provision mandates free annual preventive checkups at no cost to plan holders. Because of this, many corporate wellness plan providers, such as Houston Methodist Wellness Services, offer free on-site annual wellness physicals.

“The ACA creates new incentives and builds on existing wellness program policies to promote employer wellness programs and encourage opportunities to support healthier workplaces,” Borders said.

On-site physicals are an easy way for employers to connect employees with a primary care physician without having to take off work and without costs out of pocket, Borders said. 

Hughes said Kelsey-Seybold has tracked an increase in annual physicals since the inception of the ACA. Physicals can help catch early signs for major health issues, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

“I think more people are willing to participate, and make an effort,” she said.

Business community

As health consciousness and awareness continues to increase in Houston, health-related businesses continue to expand across the community.

Dr. Sharon Kapp, owner of the Houston Yoga and Ayurveda Wellness Center in Cy-Fair, said she has seen increased health awareness in the Cy-Fair community over the past five years.

The Houston Yoga and Ayurveda Wellness Center emphasizes natural health care and provides Cy-Fair residents a place where they can learn to use natural forms of medicine.

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“People want to take care of themselves, and they realize the importance of living a healthy lifestyle,” she said. “No one wants to be tied to any [long-term medications] with insurance rates going up and job security decreasing.”

Kapp said a variety of local businesses call to request yoga instructors to teach yoga at the workplace as well as churches and retirement homes to help encourage an active lifestyle.

Kapp also said she has seen a surge in health-related businesses within the area. Wellness centers that have opened in the past year include Lotus Hands Acupuncture, Pure Balance Wellness Center and Nurture Soul Therapeutics.

“It’s wonderful to see more wellness-based businesses establishing practices in the area,” she said. “More people are becoming aware of the importance of living a healthy life and that health can be preventive.”

Businesses have also started marketing toward healthier lifestyles, Hughes said.

“A lot of grocery stores are offering screenings for their customers, and restaurants are making customers more aware of the calorie counts on their menus,” she said. “People are starting to notice and do a little better in making healthier choices when they have more information in front of them.”

Preventive care at CFISD

Cy-Fair ISD has taken steps to provide better health care access for students and families within the district by building a federally qualified, school-based health clinic. The clinic will be located inside the  Cypress Park High School and is expected to open in August.

The center will serve students and their family members and will offer services, such as pediatric care, adult care, dental, vision, nutrition, mental, psychiatric and behavioral health.

The clinic will be a less expensive choice for families that rely on hospitals or emergency rooms, CFISD Superintendent Mark Henry said.

“One of our goals as a district is to have healthy students and families,” he said. “If we can catch some of these illnesses earlier, that means students get healthy, back in the classroom and back to learning faster,” Henry said.