Wellness programs revisited: the City of Garland's long-running and successful wellness program has been updated and modified to accommodate the changing needs of employees and advances in wellness protocols.

• Author: French, Rick
• Position: Best Practices - Report

The City of Garland, Texas, has a long and successful history with wellness programs--a commonly used strategy today, but less so in 2004, when the city's program got underway. Government Finance Review featured the pilot program six years ago,' and this article updates readers on the monetary savings and health benefits Garland has realized since then.

The City of Garland, Texas, has more than 2,000 full-time employees whose aim is to provide the highest possible quality of service to its residents and businesses. As Garland's mission statement says, the city is committed to preserving public trust, delivering quality services, promoting economic growth, protecting the community, and enhancing the quality of life for the good of the city and its future. To fulfill that mission, city employees need the means and opportunities to make healthy lifestyle choices--and the city's wellness program has helped make that possible.

It was apparent that the city needed to expand on the success of its initial wellness effort. In 2009, Garland developed an executive training course called Executive Excellence, in collaboration with the school of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Dallas. Eighteen key managers were selected to participate in the program, popularly known as EX2. After completing the course, these managers began working together on a class project that they determined to be of critical interest and importance to all city employees: the rising cost of health care and its impact on the City of Garland.

A NEW CORNERSTONE: C2W

The EX2 Committee developed an expanded, no-cost, comprehensive wellness program, called Commit to Wellness, to help with the challenge of promoting healthier lifestyles and curbing the rising cost of health care. C2W was first implemented for fulltime employees in 2011, and since then it has been a yearly reoccurring initiative that has evolved over time. Approximately 52 percent of employees a year, on average, have met all C2W requirements during the initial three years. C2W has become the central theme for all the city's wellness courses and programs since 2010.

The program has been updated and modified to accommodate the changing needs of employees and advances in wellness protocols. To promote the program and encourage employee participation, the city began providing an incentive in 2011, reducing health insurance premiums by $20 a month ($240 a year) for participants who fully met all program requirements. In 2012, the city increased health insurance premiums by $20 a month for employees who chose not to participate. The changes were based on claims data supplied by the city's...