WARSAW — The town of Warsaw’s Board of Commissioners voted to pursue involvement with the North Carolina League of Municipalities Wellness Program, a partnership between local municipalities and the league with the goal of promoting wellness and wise health choices for municipal employees.

Gerald Galloway from the League of Municipalities, presented the wellness program to the Warsaw town board at their regular meeting last week.

“Our initiative is designed to help small towns like Warsaw to help keep insurance cost down,” shared Galloway. “There are three areas that we provide insurance coverage — workman’s compensation, health insurance and liability insurance.”

The program would require Warsaw to commit to a year-long wellness participation which would include two health assessments. According to Galloway, the program would require at least 50 percent participation by the police department employees due to their high risk probability. Interim police chief Capt. Larry Holland stated, “I have polled the department and we are 100 percent behind the program.”

Program goals and objectives of the wellness program are to increase the employee’s knowledge and self-awareness of reducible health risks; achieve and maintain individual lifestyle changes that will promote maximum wellness; and achieve and maintain voluntary participation for high-risk employees and provide opportunities for an environment that will support practicing healthy behaviors.

The NCLM wellness program, Galloway noted, is designed to improve the quality of life for the employees of the towns involved. The towns of Spruce Pine, Belmont, Troutman, Hudson, Valdese, Oak Island, Cape Carteret, Hillsborough, Bald Head Island, Tarboro, Red Springs, Fairmont and Elkin are among others in North Carolina that participate.

Galloway gave an overview of the initiative, in which each employee would receive a confidential and comprehensive individual health prescription and a disease risk assessment immediately after the screening and delivered possibly on the same day as the testing.

“The individual health prescription would be based on the family history, medical history and a small sample of blood,” Galloway remarked. “Each employee who enrolls will receive screenings that include lipids (cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides) glucose, blood pressure, body composition, flexibility, endurance and overall fitness testing.” Galloway stated that most health factors that cause diseases could be reduced or even eliminated through good diet and exercise.

“The major benefit to Warsaw would be a healthy workforce where the town’s employees would be healthier and more productive not only for the town but for the community as well,” said Galloway.

Commissioner Susan Greenhill added that many prospective companies are looking at the communities they are studying for location, to see how healthy the population is due to increased health cost. Galloway also commented that classes would be available to help the employees in such areas as stress management, high blood pressure control, smoking cessation and personal motivation.

Currently there are 32 employees in the town of Warsaw, according to town manager Jason Burrell. They would all be eligible to participate at no cost to the town or themselves, since Warsaw already participates in the NCLM worker’s compensation and health insurance programs. Costs would only be incurred if an employee dropped out of the program prior to the end of the year-long assessment on his or her own accord.

Then, the cost to the town would be $150 per individual who dropped from the program.

Following the presentation and questions and answers from the board, mayor Winn Batten asked for the pleasure of the board. The commissioners moved to direct the town manager to pursue the town’s involvement in the program.

To contact Billy Todd, call 910-592-8137 ext. 117 or e-mail sigeneral@myclintonnc.com.