Administrator chosen for wellness program

Sue Reid for Solon Times   City council’s finance committee approved preparing legislation last week to accept the proposal of Be Well Solutions, a Solon company, as third-party administrator of an employee wellness program. The cost to Be Well Solutions for the one-year contract is $25,850. The city interviewed five companies of 10 proposals it received, with Be Well Solutions believed to be the “best fit” for the city and its culture, Human Resources Coordinator Jessica Vest told the committee. The fee proposal, which is an estimate, is based on the number of expected participants and includes biometric screenings, health risk assessment, coaching, incentive tracking and on-site presentations, among other services. The hope is to expand the program to cover all the city’s 283 employees and their spouses, Ms. Vest said. “Wellness programs have been gaining popularity over the last [...]

Electronic Cigarettes: Our Position

Background: Electronic inhalers (EI’s) are devices that are gaining enormous popularity in the US and the world. The units go by a number of different names: electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) electronic vaping devices personal vaporizers (PV) electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) These devices use a liquid solution (juice) which is heated to vaporize and then inhaled. Some of the liquids contain nicotine, while some merely release flavored vapor.  Nicotine levels in the liquids vary between preparations.  Tobacco is not used in e-cigarettes, though tobacco companies are investing heavily in EI’s. E-cigarettes are often designed to mimic traditional smoking implements, such as cigarettes or pipes, in their use and/or appearance, although more and more devices are designed not to imitate them, in an attempt to develop a different culture of user. In a recent edition of the Medical Letter® (Volume 54, [...]

We have partnered with GlobalFit!

GlobalFit is a leading provider of benefits for healthy living. Readily accessible through Be Well Solutions, GlobalFit’s broad selection of programs, products and services have been expressly designed to create a healthier world. Since 1992, GlobalFit's signature offering has been its gym network, the largest of its kind. The network now includes thousands of respected fitness centers, from well-known chains to independent facilities. GlobalFit also offers these convenient, affordable options: Exercise On Demand: easy-to-follow videos and community support Zumba® DVDs at a special low price Home fitness equipment from Total Gym® The Nutrisystem® weight-loss program and Dr. Will Clower's Mediterranean Wellness program. The GlobalFit Virtual Meal Planner: online meal planning for balanced nutrition Be Well Solutions has made it easier for you to reach out to GlobalFit directly. GlobalFit helps make it easy and affordable to look and feel your best. Choose [...]

His 50th birthday one Tough Mudder

Sue Reid for The Solon Times It was a 50th birthday celebration that Solon resident Bill Frankel won’t soon forget. It involved plunging into freezing cold water, jumping through fire and running through electrical wires – and that was the fun part. Mr. Frankel, along with six of his close friends and colleagues at Be Well Solutions in Solon, took part in the Tough Mudder event recently in Mansfield. A 10 mile-plus, military-style obstacle course designed by the British Forces, Tough Mudder not only tests one’s physical strength, but also mental stamina. Drawing more than 700,000 participants worldwide, the event raises funds in support of the Wounded Warrior Project. “I’ve done marathons and triathlons and am a long-distance runner and cycler, so ‘been there, done that,’” Mr. Frankel, who turned 50 on May 2, explained of deciding how to mark [...]

E-cigs fire up controversy

Timothy Magaw for Crain's Cleveland Charlie Lardomita has been an off-and-on smoker since he was about 16 years old. And while it's only been two months since he lit up, the 38-year-old IT executive thinks this time he's kicked the habit for good. Forget the patch or nicotine gum. Mr. Lardomita swears by his electronic cigarette, a device that could be described as the lovechild of RoboCop and Joe Camel. He has made believers — or “vapors” — out of a handful of his friends who've since dropped traditional smokes. He even has dreamt of opening a vapor lounge — a one-stop shop and haven for e-cig connoisseurs — near his home in Kirtland. “I'm so into them it's ridiculous,” said Mr. Lardomita, chief technology officer for International Excess Alliance in Richmond Heights, a wholesaler of property, casualty and other [...]

Wellness big business for Solon firm

Timothy Magaw for Crain's Cleveland Keeping employees healthy is a good business plan these days as health care costs continue to inch upward, and a Solon-based company appears to be benefiting from helping employers do just that. Launched in 2005, BeWell Solutions positions itself as a business that can improve an employer’s bottom line by reducing employees’ health risks through educational seminars, biometric screenings, health coaching and other tactics. Revenues at BeWell, according to its top executives, are on the upswing, growing 100% in 2010 over the previous year and 60% on top of that in 2011. At present, BeWell is 40% ahead of where it was last year in terms of revenue, with “major opportunities in the pipeline,” said William Frankel, its executive vice president. Specific revenue figures were not disclosed. The company recently moved from a 3,500-square-foot space [...]

Companies trying to keep budget lines trim with wellness programs

Craig Lovelace for Business First Kathleen Herath has advice for companies crafting a wellness program for employees: “Always make sure the lawyers are present.” Sounds ominous, but Herath, who oversees wellness efforts at Nationwide Insurance, said a lot goes into customizing programs to meet the needs of workers but not run afoul of the law. “If you ... put it together in a mindful manner, it is much easier to maintain,” said Herath, associate vice president of health and productivity. Five years ago, Nationwide revamped its wellness program and developed MyHealth for its employees across the country. It always had elements of a wellness plan – such as smoking cessation, nutritional and exercise programs – but Herath said it was never a coordinated effort. Nationwide assembled a diverse team to develop a plan that was legal and worthy of the [...]

For wellness waverers, tax break might do the trick

Shannon Mortland for Crain's Cleveland Many companies have shied away from wellness programs that aim to prompt employees to live healthier lifestyles, but that could be about to change. In July, Congress began considering the Healthy Workforce Act of 2007, which would provide tax breaks to companies that offer robust wellness programs to employees. Through the act, the government hopes to reduce health care spending and therefore free up more money to flow into the economy. And some believe the effort just might work. Dr. Ron Golovan, medical director of Beachwood-based wellness pro-vider Be Well Solutions, said many small and mid-size companies are starting to think about wellness, a concept that mostly has been reserved for large corporations that stand to save a lot of money. Though a tax incentive isn’t the best reason to start a wellness program, it [...]