NEW YORK, November 30, 2023 — Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) today released “Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes and Obesity in Women: A Guide for Employers,” to help HR and benefit leaders develop and implement strategies that promote women’s health and improve healthy outcomes for women.
.NEW YORK, June 26, 2023 — U.S. employers are coming up short when it comes to meeting the mental health needs of their employees, according to the results of a new survey released today by Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH). Conversely, employers give themselves high marks when it comes to supporting their employees’ desires for a flexible work environment and a healthy work life balance, and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) throughout their organization.
.Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) today released “Creating a Vaccination-Friendly Culture: What Employers Can Do,” a guide to help HR and benefit leaders develop and implement strategies to boost vaccination rates in employee populations and beyond.
Uptake of all recommended vaccinations is low across the U.S. population, with average rates between 20% and 60%. This statistic is especially troubling given the potential loss of life, risk of protracted illnesses and costs — both direct and indirect — of the diseases these vaccines are intended to prevent. Each year, for example, up to 20% of the U.S. population catches the flu; adults ages 18-64 have accounted for nearly 42% of reported flu hospitalizations, resulting in absenteeism, lost employee productivity and costly medical bills. In fact, the CDC has reported that medical expenses related to flu cost an estimated $10.4 billion annually. Lost wages add another $16.3 billion.
“The public’s mixed response to COVID-19 vaccines has highlighted the urgent need to create a more vaccination-friendly culture if we are to reap the benefits of scientific advances in fighting disease and illness in the future,” said Candice Sherman, CEO, NEBGH. “The data shows that employers are a trusted source of information and therefore in a unique position to fight misinformation, promote vaccination as an essential part of overall wellness and set an example by communicating their commitment to vaccination. We developed this guide to provide employers with the tools and resources they need to create a vaccination-friendly culture in the workplace.”
This 40-page guide includes information on vaccination history, uptake, racial and ethnic disparities in vaccination status and barriers to vaccination, and the results of a survey of 103 large employers about their vaccination policies. The survey, conducted by NEBGH, found most employers (85%) don’t set targets for employees to be vaccinated while 75% cited misinformation and vaccine hesitancy as barriers to boosting vaccination rates among their employees. The guide features a comprehensive discussion of eight steps employers can take to increase vaccination rates. These include:
“The critical focus over the past two years has been on vaccinations to fight COVID-19, but employers recognize that vaccinations against other diseases and illnesses can play a significant role in improving the overall health and well-being of their employees, families and beyond. And it starts with creating a vaccination-friendly culture. We are hopeful that employers will take specific actions described in the guide and work hard to boost vaccination rates in the coming years,” said Sherman.
The guide is available to employers and the public at no cost and can be accessed here.
About Northeast Business Group on Health
NEBGH is an employer-led, multi-stakeholder coalition that empowers members to drive excellence in health and achieve the highest value in healthcare delivery and the consumer experience. NEBGH employer/purchaser members cover 6 million lives in the U.S. and 10 million globally.
Media Contact:
Ed Emerman
609.240.2766
.
Survey tool aims to help employers measure progress in creating a Culture of Mental Wellness
NEW YORK, November 3, 2022 — Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) today launched “Well Gauge,” a tool to help HR, employee benefit, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) leaders measure their organizations’ progress in creating a culture of mental wellness.
Employers all across the country recognize that mental wellness has become a key component to establishing and maintaining a healthy workforce and productive work environment. In fact, a recent survey by WTW revealed that two in three U.S. employers plan to make employee mental health and emotional wellbeing programs one of their top three health priorities over the next three years.
“Providing benefits coverage and offering programs for mental health are essential – but not sufficient – to support employee well-being,” said Amy Tippett-Stangler, Senior Vice President, NEBGH. “Creating diverse, inclusive environments in which mental health is a priority, mental illness is de-stigmatized, and employees feel valued as whole people is central to building a healthy, productive and committed workforce. Well Gauge was created to give employers a tool to assess their progress in developing a culture of mental well-being and identify actions to enhance their efforts.”
Well Gauge is a survey tool created by a 15-member working committee convened regularly by NEBGH over the last 10 months. Committee members include senior benefits leaders, clinicians and healthcare stakeholders.
The survey includes four sections, each focused on an essential component to creating a culture of mental wellness:
After completing each section, employers receive a score along with action steps they can implement to improve their efforts and track their progress toward developing a culture of mental wellbeing.
“As we look at the impact of the pandemic on our collective mental health, it is critical to empower organizations with the knowledge to support employee mental health,” said Rachael Steimnitz, Workplace Mental Health Director at National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City. “The Well Gauge tool will be an important contribution to help companies reduce stigma and promote mental health among all staff.”
The Well Gauge tool is available to employers and the public at no cost, and can be accessed here.
About Northeast Business Group on Health
NEBGH is an employer-led, multi-stakeholder coalition that empowers members to drive excellence in health and achieve the highest value in healthcare delivery and the consumer experience. NEBGH employer/purchaser members cover 6 million lives in the U.S. and 10 million globally.
Media Contact:
Ed Emerman
609.240.2766
.
NEW YORK, February 10, 2021 – Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) has released “Pandemic Response, Recovery and Planning: Lessons Learned for Employers in 2020,” a comprehensive guide to help HR and benefits leaders manage their workforces safely and effectively both during and after the pandemic ends, and to prepare them for future pandemics.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has created a host of new health and workplace challenges for both employers and employees, and has upended life as we know it for millions of workers and their families,” said Candice Sherman, Chief Executive Officer of NEBGH. “Employers adapted well over the past ten months to address the pandemic, in part because HR and benefits leaders were newly empowered to help guide flexible work strategies and determine how best to support employees’ health and well-being. We’ve incorporated many of their best practices into the guide to assist other employers as they continue to navigate through the pandemic.”
The guide is available free of charge to all employers and the public at large, and can be accessed here.
.NEW YORK, November 28, 2018 – Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) today released “Digital Tools and Solutions for Diabetes: An Employer’s Guide,” an update to its inaugural guide introduced in 2016 for employers interested in exploring the use of digital tools and solutions for their efforts to help employees prevent and manage diabetes. The guide is designed to help employers determine which digital features are most important in addressing the specific challenges they face with their workplace diabetes programs, and serve as a starting point for matching solutions.
.ExpectNY is an accessible and easy-to-understand source of information and publicly-reported hospital data about maternity procedures and practices. Users can search for a hospital’s rates for C-Sections, VBACs (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean), inductions, episiotomies, breastfeeding and other factors helpful for expectant mothers to understand when planning to give birth. The website includes searchable data from more than 50 hospitals in New York City and Long Island..