WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–NPR (National Public Radio) today celebrated the opening of its onsite Wellness Center in cooperation with Cigna with a ribbon cutting and staff tours. Located within NPR’s new headquarters and managed by Cigna, the employee Wellness Center is a cornerstone of NPR’s focus on creating a healthy work environment for its DC-based staff of approximately 800.
Sam Kass, Executive Director of Let’s Move! and Senior Policy Advisor on Nutrition for the White House, joined NPR President and CEO Gary E. Knell and Julia Huggins, president for Cigna in the MidAtlantic, for the opening ceremony of the NPR Wellness Center.
The Center is available to eligible full-time and part-time NPR staff with no co-pay or out-of-pocket expense. The center is staffed by a nurse practitioner and medical assistant, open for 24 hours each week and accepts both walk-ins and scheduled appointments.
“We looked at our new headquarters as an opportunity to advance employee health and wellness initiatives,” said Jeff Perkins, NPR’s Chief People Officer. “Our Wellness Center is going to improve our staff’s overall health, save our employees time and money, and increase workplace productivity – all keys to improving work-life integration.”
NPR staff can visit the Wellness Center for preventive care services, such as routine physical exams and flu shots. In addition, NPR News journalists preparing to go on assignment overseas will be able to get the required immunizations they need conveniently onsite before going abroad. The Wellness Center will also offer chronic condition coaching to help employees manage conditions such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes, as well as health management classes, including workshops for weight loss and/or smoking cessation.
The NPR Wellness Center is the product of a long relationship between NPR and Cigna, NPR’s primary medical plan carrier since 1992. NPR also has Cigna pharmacy, dental and behavioral coverage, and now, Cigna-managed onsite health services available to NPR staff.
“Creating a culture of health in the workplace starts with senior leadership commitment to the health and well-being of employees. Organizations like NPR understand helping employees maintain or achieve their best health is critical to their organization’s success,” said Julia Huggins, president and general manager for Cigna in the MidAtlantic. “Our Cigna team looks forward to serving the needs of NPR employees at the new Wellness Center.”
Cigna analysis supporting the project suggests that the expected savings to NPR and staff over the first three years resulting from the NPR Wellness Center are anticipated to be approximately $390,000 – due to claims cost reduction, avoiding lost work time, and generic drug conversion.
Based on Cigna’s experience providing onsite wellness services to clients around the country, NPR staff overall could expect to experience a 25% decrease in their primary care costs, a 32% reduction in specialist visits and a 38% reduction in emergency room visits.
In addition to the Wellness Center, the new NPR building has an onsite workout facility managed by Corporate Fitness Works, a bike room for the many NPR employees who ride bikes to work and Sound Bites Café featuring a menu full of healthy options, operated by Guckenheimer.
Photos of the new NPR Wellness Center in cooperation with Cigna, as well as photos from the opening ceremony, are available to media upon request.
Date: April 24, 2013