Chelmsford’s wellness program is finalist for national award

The town of Chelmsford’s popular wellness program, which focuses on social connectedness, building a culture of health, and increasing the quality of life for town employees and their families, is a finalist for the national Health Value Awards for 2018.
 
The awards, sponsored by the World Congress, the Health Rosetta Institute and the Validation Institute, recognize health care organizations, purchasers and individuals that consistently deliver significant value relative to their peers within health care niches and promote transparency around price and outcomes. The winners will be announced on April 29 at the World Health Care Congress conference in Washington, D.C.
 
Chelmsford’s Well Power program, created in partnership with the MIIA Health Benefits Trust, is one of five finalists in the Mid-sized Employer Groups category. The program uses programming and activities that are relevant to employees’ lives, engaging, fun, easy to join and free.
 
Well Power reaches a range of employees with activities and programs that are available online, on-site and over the phone. The program targets all areas of well-being, including physical, social, emotional and career.
 
Prizes and small monetary incentives add a competitive component to activities such as the Fitbit Challenge, in which employees compete against fellow participants in step count, and a motivational component to activities such as Quizzify, a trivia-like game that teaches how to use health plans more efficiently, save on health care spending, and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
 
Program activities are often full, thanks to wide-ranging support from town officials. Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen and Human Resources Director Jeanna Parziale are ambassadors for the program, attending meetings and participating in many programs. All municipal departments and the schools are represented on the wellness committee, and activities are held in municipal locations throughout Chelmsford. The town even covers the cost of programs, prizes, and resources for their employees who are not enrolled in the town’s health insurance.