Several companies in Cy-Fair have begun to place an emphasis on employee wellness programs as the implementation of health care reform continues.

"Companies are recognizing the cost for employee health care is going up," said Beryl Ramsey, CEO of Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital. "We have a very costly health care system here in the U.S., and many companies are looking at how they can reduce costs and make sure their employees are healthy."

Wellness program expansion

Houston Methodist Willowbrook plans to open a new 6,600-square-foot wellness facility in October for hospital employees and local employers, offering yoga, zumba, boot camp and aerobics classes along with access to physicals and health screenings.

"We wanted to make sure our wellness program was tailored to the needs of businesses in the community so it's convenient and easy," Ramsey said.

Houston Methodist's wellness program is comprised of two divisions—employee wellness for the hospital system's 17,000 employees and corporate wellness for companies in the Houston area who can pay for wellness services.

"With the corporate wellness piece, we have an opportunity to create a culture of wellness within an entity," said Jennifer Borders, director of wellness services for the Houston Methodist Hospital system.

The expansion also includes a 1,500-square-foot fitness center for hospital employees, which will feature cardio equipment, treadmills, ellipticals, and free weights.

"Houston Methodist is very interested in the health and well-being of its employees, and the expansion of the wellness services here at the Willowbrook location is one step toward that," Borders said.

Local wellness programs

Noble Energy's corporate headquarters—which relocated to Hwy. 249 and Louetta Road last summer—features a state-of-the-art fitness center employees can use as part of the company's wellness program, Wellness NOW.

"I think our employees recognize this is a benefit and that it can have a positive impact on their lives," wellness coordinator Jamie Pittman said. "We recognize the correlation between being healthier, active and eating right and how that translates—if you're healthy and happy, you're much more motivated and energized."

The fitness center includes cardio equipment, strength training, group classes, fitness classes and spin classes, Pittmann said. Employees who participate in Wellness NOW can earn points for discounts on their health insurance premiums along with points for an employee mall at Noble, where they can purchase anything from gift cards to a Fitbit activity tracker.

Lone Star College–CyFair launched its wellness program nearly 10 years ago in an effort to embrace a healthy lifestyle on campus, said Ronnie Nespeca, LSC–CyFair kinesiology professor and wellness coordinator.

"It's set up to where you're allowed a total of three hours a week to exercise, and the college will give you an hour and a half [to exercise on] paid time," he said. "Our fitness center is located in the college center, and we have more than 50 pieces of cardio equipment—everything from treadmills to stationary bikes to ellipticals."

Harris County started its employee wellness program in 2007 after encouragement from its insurance provider, Aetna, county wellness coordinator Sarah Acosta said.

"When we started, we tried expanding the flu shot program and doing an employee challenge, but it's grown since then," she said. "We built a wellness center downtown and offer exercise classes for employees."

The county also has a wellness clinic available, which includes services, such as dietician coaching, physicals from a Methodist Hospital physician, mammograms and on-site screenings. There will also be an inaugural county 5K run for employees and their families in October.

"Overall, we've had a positive reaction—people have told us they've lost weight by doing the challenges or fitness classes," Acosta said. "It's about shifting the way we look at health and the culture of our organization to say, 'Yes, we want to be healthy.'"

Rising costs

Wellness has become a bigger priority for many employers partly because of the rise in employees with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, said Rocky Payne, statewide wellness coordinator with the Department of State Health Services.

"You can't get a shot to make [chronic diseases] go away because they are the result of many years of unhealthy living," he said. "They are one of the biggest drivers of health care costs. We're trying to shift the health care system to emphasis on prevention rather than treatment."

The Affordable Care Act is one avenue that has made it easier for employers to offer access to wellness programs, since it covers preventative care and health screenings, Payne said.

"When you can intervene and give people knowledge before they get sick, that's the key," he said. "People can find out their risk for diabetes and chronic conditions before they have them, so we can take action that's much less expensive."

Nespeca said that the healthier a person is, the less time he or she is out due to disease and sickness.

"They're going to be more productive, and research and studies show that when an individual is healthier their energy levels and concentration levels increase so they can get more work done," he said.