VENTURA : Wellness Program Wins Recognition

Bill Spoentgen says he has not had a cigarette since the summer of 1987--when he finished a smoking clinic sponsored by the county.

Spoentgen, a county personnel analyst who smoked two packs a day for 35 years, credits the clinic with persuading him to “make the final move” to quit.

Spoentgen says the county’s Wellness Program, which offered the clinic, changed his life in other ways. He cut back on red meat and now walks to keep fit.

The program, which has served an estimated 5,000 employees in the past five years, recently won an award from HealthAction, a journal that recognizes organizations for supporting in-house health efforts.

The county’s program offers free screenings, classes and seminars, said coordinator Susan Heller.

County employees are screened for weight, blood pressure and heart risk and can take classes in weight management, smoking and nutrition.

One class, called “supermarket safari,” teaches people how to make sense of food labels, Heller said.

But the main goal of the program is to reduce heart disease and cancer, and its success can be measured in the county’s savings in employee medical insurance, Heller said.

“The employees may be going to the doctor a little bit more--there are incentives to go and take tests--but in the long run, we are saving in long-term expenses,” she said.

The county offers employees cash bonuses for attending classes, taking medical tests, showing weight reduction or lowering blood pressure.

Employees have a total of eight hours of work time per year set aside for the program.

Heller said the program reaches employees who often do not know about ways to safeguard their health.

“Other wellness programs attract people who already are healthy and athletic.

Because of the cash incentive, we are attracting a wide cross-section of people, who don’t know what cholesterol is or what a good diet is,” Heller said.

The program is offered in several county offices, including Simi Valley, Oxnard, Ventura and Camarillo Airport.