Employers need to address the health issues facing the Nashville region
The health problems facing Nashville are mirrored across the country.
Chronic health conditions like obesity, diabetes, depression and high blood pressure have impacts beyond poor outcomes for individuals. Chronically ill people are less productive at work and more likely to miss work altogether than healthy employees. The health status of each Nashvillian has a collective impact on their employers and the regional economy.
To help combat these issues, employers are starting to address the health of their employees. While improving the quality of life of their employees is part of the motivation, the truth is that poor health creates increased costs for both employers and their employees. By helping their employees become healthier, the business can improve their outcomes.
How can employers help their employees become healthier? Here are a few of the ways our 2018 Vital Signs Report identified:
Provide health insurance
Over the last decade, Nashville has seen a dramatic decrease in the percentage of residents with employer-sponsored health insurance. In 2006, 68.5% of Nashville businesses offered health insurance. By 2016, that number dropped to just 46% of establishments. Nashville is lagging peer cities like Denver, Seattle and Cleveland in this metric of health, though all peer cities saw a significant drop in the same time period.
Employer-sponsored insurance is a great way to make sure employees have access to quality healthcare and can be a great way to attract and retain the best talent in a tight labor market.
Support chronically ill employees
One of the groups that most needs access to regular health care is those suffering from chronic health conditions. Employers should be particularly supportive in helping chronically ill employees become healthier since these conditions are the costliest for businesses.
In fact, chronic illness costs the Nashville region more that $1.6 billion every year in productivity losses.
Download the complete 2018 Vital Signs report here.
Empower parents
Unhealthy children tend to become unhealthy adults. By helping employees address the health needs of their children, employers are investing in the future health of the workforce. Furthermore, employees can miss work due to managing children’s health issues.
Good health begins with quality prenatal care. Across the region, only about half of infants receive adequate prenatal care and Davidson county saw a 4.4% decrease in mothers receiving this care from 2012 to 2016.
Children in Nashville are also much more likely to not have health insurance than peer cities.
Chronic health conditions are also beginning in childhood. Nearly 40% of children in Davidson County public schools are obese. If these numbers are not addressed, they could lead to increased costs due to hospitalization and lost productivity of their parents.
The good news is that many Nashville businesses are beginning to recognize the importance of addressing employee health. Research completed by the Research Center of the Nashville Area Chamber indicates that approximately 60% of Nashville area organizations surveyed showed leadership commitment to employee health during the past year.
To read more about improving employee health through formal employee health programs, check out our free e-book here: How to Build a Successful Employee Health Program.
Also, there are other efforts underway to better understand the health of the Nashville region. The Nashville Community Health + Well-being Survey was launched in late 2018 to help gain an accurate picture of the health of the city and inform and enhance the work being done today. Read more about this survey and how you can help here