GLOBE SOUTH 1
Every Thursday morning at 9, staffers at Weymouth Town Halltrudge downstairs to the health offices in the basement and step ona scale. They're competing for cash prizes in a weight-loss programbased on the hit reality TV show, 'The Biggest Loser.'
In Whitman, the town manager is drafting a policy that wouldrequire new municipal employees to undergo drug and alcoholscreening. In Plymouth, public works employees are given sunscreenin the summer to protect their skin while working outdoors. InNorwood, town employees can work out at the Recreation Department'sgym facilities, or stop by Town Hall to get their blood pressurechecked, a diabetes screening, or a flu shot.
Across the region, municipalities are doing what they can to keeptheir workers healthy. The hope is that preventive measures willmean lower medical costs down the road.
Because local cities and towns are typically strapped for cash,they're creating home-grown wellness programs rather than hiringoutside firms that offer corporate weight-loss programs.
According to surveys by the Society for Human ResourceManagement, 80 percent of government jobs now offer on-sitevaccinations, 51 percent have on-site fitness facilities, and one-quarter offer on-site fitness classes, such as yoga or aerobics. Thesurveys show that 46 percent offer smoking-cessation programs, and43 percent offer weight-loss programs.
Local communities are doing all those things and, in some cases,more.
In fall 2004, Weymouth's Health Advisory Committee created itsown reality TV series on a local cable station. It chronicled aweight-loss contest between the town's Police and Fire departments.The town's Health Department has held similar competitions for townemployees, although they have not been televised.
A participant pays a $5 entry fee, which is pooled as prizemoney. The employees watch what they eat, and get weighed in at theHealth Department once a week.
Seventeen employees participated in the most recent 12-week,weight-loss competition. The winners are determined by thepercentage of weight they lose. Paula McLeod, an employee in thetreasurer's office, lost 9 1/2 pounds and earned first place; herhusband, custodian John MacLeod, lost 10 pounds and earned secondplace; and Diane Powers, who works in the town clerk's office, lost7 1/2 pounds and took third place.
Richard Marino, Weymouth's director of public health, said helost only 3 pounds, but plans to sign up for the session that is tobegin next month and hopes to continue the downward trend. Overall,he said, the program is 'a great idea.'
'It centers our focus on what I consider to be a healthpriority.'
George Burr, the maintenance supervisor at Town Hall, was among34 employees who took part in the weight-loss program in the spring.He lost more than 40 pounds.
In some towns, it has taken a while for the wellness campaign tocatch on.
'It was really tough getting it off the ground,' Patricia Flynn,Plymouth's director of human resources, said of that town's newWellness Committee. 'We worked hard to get the employees to buy intoit.'
But it's working. The Wellness Committee launched a walkingprogram and, the first year, she said, 'only eight or nine' peoplesigned up, but the following year, 18 people signed up, and thisyear, there were 30 walkers.
A healthy cooking workshop is scheduled to be held at Town Hallbefore the holidays, and a smoking-cessation program is to beginnext month.
'It's exciting,' Flynn said. 'We're looking at incentives we canoffer employees, and we're also going to try to track claims basedon the wellness programs' to see what impact they have.
Whitman soon will require all new municipal employees to undergophysical exams and substance-abuse testing. The new policy is beingwritten by Town Administrator Frank Lynam and will be subject toapproval by the Board of Selectmen.
The policy would not apply to current employees, electedofficials, or members of the school department, he said. SelectmanCarl Kowalski also requested that drug and alcohol screening be partof the new policy.
'We make an investment in people when we hire them,' he said, 'sowe want to make sure they're physically capable of doing the job andthat they're emotionally able to handle the job, too.'
Weymouth's wellness coordinator, Valerie Sullivan, sends out amonthly calendar filled with tips on exercise, nutrition, andreminders like 'Have you had your cholesterol checked lately?' toevery town employee by e-mail.
Sullivan also would like to get pedometers in the hands ofeveryone who works in Weymouth Town Hall. With this outreach, shehopes that wellness catches on in the hallowed halls of towngovernment.
'It's a growing field. With the rise of healthcare costs, we'reall looking for ways to reduce them, and educate employees.'
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.
