Administrator chosen for wellness program

Sue Reid for Solon Times   City council’s finance committee approved preparing legislation last week to accept the proposal of Be Well Solutions, a Solon company, as third-party administrator of an employee wellness program. The cost to Be Well Solutions for the one-year contract is $25,850. The city interviewed five companies of 10 proposals it received, with Be Well Solutions believed to be the “best fit” for the city and its culture, Human Resources Coordinator Jessica Vest told the committee. The fee proposal, which is an estimate, is based on the number of expected participants and includes biometric screenings, health risk assessment, coaching, incentive tracking and on-site presentations, among other services. The hope is to expand the program to cover all the city’s 283 employees and their spouses, Ms. Vest said. “Wellness programs have been gaining popularity over the last [...]

The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association said it has formed a strategic partnership with BeWell Solutions 

Scott Suttell for Crain's Cleveland Well, well, well: The Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers' Association said it has formed a strategic partnership with BeWell Solutions of Cleveland to provide comprehensive wellness services to its member organizations. The auto dealers group represents more than 250 new-vehicle dealerships in northern Ohio. Through the partnership, the GCADA said it has made “a strategic commitment to promote activities that encourage healthy living and disease prevention among its members.” A formal kickoff is planned for Wednesday, July 10, when individual dealerships “will be introduced to the programs that can help control health care expenses and increase productivity,” according to the GCADA. “BeWell Solutions provides us with a customized service for our members' wellness needs by improving employees' health, increasing productivity and ultimately reducing our health insurance and workers' compensation costs” said Lou Vitantonio, the association's president, in a statement. Services to [...]

Electronic Cigarettes: Our Position

Background: Electronic inhalers (EI’s) are devices that are gaining enormous popularity in the US and the world. The units go by a number of different names: electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) electronic vaping devices personal vaporizers (PV) electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) These devices use a liquid solution (juice) which is heated to vaporize and then inhaled. Some of the liquids contain nicotine, while some merely release flavored vapor.  Nicotine levels in the liquids vary between preparations.  Tobacco is not used in e-cigarettes, though tobacco companies are investing heavily in EI’s. E-cigarettes are often designed to mimic traditional smoking implements, such as cigarettes or pipes, in their use and/or appearance, although more and more devices are designed not to imitate them, in an attempt to develop a different culture of user. In a recent edition of the Medical Letter® (Volume 54, [...]

We have partnered with GlobalFit!

GlobalFit is a leading provider of benefits for healthy living. Readily accessible through Be Well Solutions, GlobalFit’s broad selection of programs, products and services have been expressly designed to create a healthier world. Since 1992, GlobalFit's signature offering has been its gym network, the largest of its kind. The network now includes thousands of respected fitness centers, from well-known chains to independent facilities. GlobalFit also offers these convenient, affordable options: Exercise On Demand: easy-to-follow videos and community support Zumba® DVDs at a special low price Home fitness equipment from Total Gym® The Nutrisystem® weight-loss program and Dr. Will Clower's Mediterranean Wellness program. The GlobalFit Virtual Meal Planner: online meal planning for balanced nutrition Be Well Solutions has made it easier for you to reach out to GlobalFit directly. GlobalFit helps make it easy and affordable to look and feel your best. Choose [...]

Obama administration continues moving forward to implement health care law by releasing final rules on employment-based wellness programs

Laura McGinnis for the United States Department of Labor WASHINGTON - The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and the Treasury today issued final rules on employment-based wellness programs. The final rules support workplace health promotion and prevention as a means to reduce the burden of chronic illness, improve health and limit growth of health care costs, while ensuring that individuals are protected from unfair underwriting practices that could otherwise reduce benefits based on health status. The final rules continue to support participatory wellness programs, which generally are available without regard to an individual's health status. These include programs that reimburse for the cost of membership in a fitness center; that provide a reward to employees for attending a monthly, no-cost health education seminar; or that reward employees who complete a health risk assessment, without requiring them to take [...]

Event: Solon HR Roundtable Meeting Announcement, Speaker Bill Frankel

Our next meeting is Thursday August 22nd at Mustard Seed Market in Solon, second floor. Our speaker is Bill Frankel with Be Well Solutions and his topic is “The Truth about Exercise, Diet and Nutrition”. Come and spend some time with your peers learning new tools to take care of you (and teach your employees to do the same)! What:    Lunch meeting with speaker Bill Frankel Where: Mustard Seed Market, 6025 Kruse Drive in Solon,  2nd Floor When:   Thursday, August 22nd,  from 12 noon to 1 pm. Lunch:   Purchase food there if you like RSVP:   It’s helpful if you RSVP to Susan Drotleff at susan.drotleff@adeccona.com or to Carolyn Downie at communications@solonchamber.com so that we can plan for room set up and hand out of materials.

His 50th birthday one Tough Mudder

Sue Reid for The Solon Times It was a 50th birthday celebration that Solon resident Bill Frankel won’t soon forget. It involved plunging into freezing cold water, jumping through fire and running through electrical wires – and that was the fun part. Mr. Frankel, along with six of his close friends and colleagues at Be Well Solutions in Solon, took part in the Tough Mudder event recently in Mansfield. A 10 mile-plus, military-style obstacle course designed by the British Forces, Tough Mudder not only tests one’s physical strength, but also mental stamina. Drawing more than 700,000 participants worldwide, the event raises funds in support of the Wounded Warrior Project. “I’ve done marathons and triathlons and am a long-distance runner and cycler, so ‘been there, done that,’” Mr. Frankel, who turned 50 on May 2, explained of deciding how to mark [...]

Be Well Solutions moves to Solon

Chagrin Solon Sun Be Well Solutions, a physician-owned and operated wellness company, recently moved from Beachwood to Solon. Three of the four company founders live in Solon and decided when it came time to move to a larger facility, they wanted to locate in Solon. Be Well Solutions’ mission is to promote disease prevention, healthy aging, and healthcare cost containment for its clients through health screenings, behavioral interventions and educational seminars. All who are interested in wellness are encouraged to stop by and visit Be Well Solutions at 30625 Solon Road, Suite C. An open house is planned for later this summer.

Wellness big business for Solon firm

Timothy Magaw for Crain's Cleveland Keeping employees healthy is a good business plan these days as health care costs continue to inch upward, and a Solon-based company appears to be benefiting from helping employers do just that. Launched in 2005, BeWell Solutions positions itself as a business that can improve an employer’s bottom line by reducing employees’ health risks through educational seminars, biometric screenings, health coaching and other tactics. Revenues at BeWell, according to its top executives, are on the upswing, growing 100% in 2010 over the previous year and 60% on top of that in 2011. At present, BeWell is 40% ahead of where it was last year in terms of revenue, with “major opportunities in the pipeline,” said William Frankel, its executive vice president. Specific revenue figures were not disclosed. The company recently moved from a 3,500-square-foot space [...]

Companies trying to keep budget lines trim with wellness programs

Craig Lovelace for Business First Kathleen Herath has advice for companies crafting a wellness program for employees: “Always make sure the lawyers are present.” Sounds ominous, but Herath, who oversees wellness efforts at Nationwide Insurance, said a lot goes into customizing programs to meet the needs of workers but not run afoul of the law. “If you ... put it together in a mindful manner, it is much easier to maintain,” said Herath, associate vice president of health and productivity. Five years ago, Nationwide revamped its wellness program and developed MyHealth for its employees across the country. It always had elements of a wellness plan – such as smoking cessation, nutritional and exercise programs – but Herath said it was never a coordinated effort. Nationwide assembled a diverse team to develop a plan that was legal and worthy of the [...]