From the November 2007 issue of Ceridian Connection

Employers now have a tool to do something about the sudden and often fatal results that their employees with heart disease can face.

Through Ceridian LifeWorks Cardiovascular Health Management, employers can offer their employees access to telephonic and online coaching to help people with heart conditions or those who are at risk of developing them. Ceridian Cardiovascular Health Management educates individuals on how to maintain heart-healthy lifestyles, as well as how to work with their health care providers to manage their conditions. For example, through working one-on-one with a personal health coach for a full year, program participants can set goals to increase fruit and vegetable intake, go easy on high-fat foods, and start a walking program. In addition, they learn about the importance of following physician advice related to taking medications and receiving regular blood pressure or cholesterol testing.

Cardiovascular diseases rank as America's number one killer, claiming the lives of over 36 percent of the more than 2.4 million people who die each year in the United States. From an employer's standpoint, conditions associated with heart disease are a major contributor to rising health care costs. Employee productivity and absenteeism is also greatly affected by individuals with chronic heart disease.

"Ceridian Cardiovascular Health Management helps employers improve the overall health of their employees," said Ceridian LifeWorks Senior Vice President Zachary Meyer. "This program, along with our programs for weight management, stress management and smoking cessation, will help employers reduce associated health care costs, decrease absenteeism, increase workforce productivity and greatly improve the overall health and well-being of their employees both at work and at home."

Ceridian health coaches help participants improve lifestyle behaviors to modify cardiovascular risk and help personalize healthy habits. Whereas one person may find preparing low-fat, low-sodium foods that taste great a snap, others will need practical advice about reading food labels on prepared foods and ordering heart-healthy meals at restaurants.

Ceridian's health coaches also help individuals break down the change process, so change is more manageable. Instead of adopting a routine of running seven days a week for someone who's been a "weekend warrior" exerciser for years, coaches encourage each person to take a realistic approach by setting smaller, achievable goals that can be built upon -- such as walking two mornings a week for 30 minutes.

Ceridian Cardiovascular Health Management addresses individuals holistically by looking at each risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This new program is one of a suite of health coaching programs offered by Ceridian. Other programs include weight management, stress management, tobacco cessation and lifestyle management for bariatric surgery. Ceridian uses a best-practices approach in developing and delivering our health coaching programs and has done so since the launch of our successful tobacco cessation program in 1997.

Contact your Ceridian representative to learn more about Ceridian Cardiovascular Health Management.