National Working Group for ACTTION

June 24, 2009

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will be holding its 61^st Annual Conference at the end of June in New Orleans, La. SHRM – which is the world’s largest professional association devoted to serving the needs of HR professionals – will focus this year’s theme on “HR Leadership for the New Economy,” an appropriate title and subject for the state of today’s businesses. The conference will have some of the world’s leading business thinkers and this year, Partnership for Prevention will be hosting one of the 150 concurrent sessions of the event.

In continuing to emphasize the need for comprehensive tobacco cessation coverage among employers, Partnership for Prevention will host a first-ever tobacco cessation treatment session, entitled “The Business Case for Preventive Health Benefit Design: Tobacco Cessation for the Bottom Line.” This session will promote several of the key recommendations made in the National Working Group’s Call for ACTTION, and will discuss the value and business case for offering employees comprehensive tobacco use cessation benefits. In addition, the session will highlight how companies can put tobacco cessation services into practice, and ultimately better its business bottom line and health of employees.

Speakers at this session will include Dr. Eduardo Sanchez, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and Diane Flanders, Vice President of Benefits and Compensation at Erickson Retirement Communities.

Dr. Sanchez will focus on the more than 107 million Americans receiving health insurance coverage through their employer, noting that should employers opt for comprehensive smoking cessation treatment benefits as part of their offered plan, they will find that their employees will be healthier, present and more productive, while also seeing a reduction in annual medical and life insurance costs. 

Meanwhile, Flanders – a recognized benefits and compensation professional overseeing services for more than 12,000 employees – including the Health Matters program providing comprehensive employee health and wellness initiatives – will discuss the success of Erickson’s tobacco cessation program.  This comprehensive initiative includes coverage for prescription medications, online phone support, a wellness fund to reimburse for over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy, as well as in-person counseling at an on-site heath and wellness center.

This session – and conference in general – provides a strong lead into the upcoming Call for ACTTION Webcast series, which will include topics on what large/small businesses can do to provide cessation support for tobacco users looking to quit and how to improve a company’s return on investment by providing such options. 

Call to Action: Determine ways you can talk to local business about the value of offering employees comprehensive tobacco use cessation benefits.