Lil Drug Store Products Takes Home Wellness Program Award

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Wellness is more than a business concept at Lil' Drug Store Products Inc. The company has been cited for promoting health and wellness among its employees.

The locally headquartered company is well entrenched in the non-prescription drug and health and beauty care markets in the convenience, grocery, drug and mass market retail channels. It also developed an internal "Here's to Your Health" worksite wellness program designed to encourage healthy lifestyles and behaviors for employees, which has just received the 2012 Linn County Worksite Wellness Award.

Launched in 2009, the wellness program offers LDSP employees free onsite health assessments, supported by such activities as a free monthly session with a professional wellness coach and discounted gym memberships with lunch-hour workout sessions encouraged. Employees receive an incentive of a $200 wellness bonus based on their success at improving health or maintaining health from year to year and participating in wellness activities, according to the company.

Success, it adds, is defined by such metrics as management of weight (defined by body mass index), blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar. The program has more than achieved its goal of 80 percent participation, with 88 percent of all employees now involved in the various activities.

"We are passionate about promoting health and wellness for our employees and their families, and the 'Here's to Your Health' program is above all about helping our people take charge of their health and lives," said Suzy DeWolf, director of health and wellness of LDSP and co-owner of the company. "That kind of self-care mirrors the products we sell to retailers all around the country and the world. We're gratified that our efforts have been given this recognition for leadership among Linn County employers, because we believe it embodies the right things for a company like ours to do."

As part of the initiative, LDSP employees can participate in the "Lil' Drug Olympics," which encourages individuals to participate in competitions for prizes in such activities as ping pong, hula hoops, basketball, Frisbee, golf, batting cages and obstacle courses. In addition, there is a "Maintain, Don't Gain Challenge" that involves friendly competition among teams to avoid holiday weight gain while competing for prizes, and the "Stress-Less Fest" component offers onsite massages, hourly drawings for a stress-reducing prize and tips on how to manage stress in everyday life.

Other aspects of the program are a tobacco-free workplace campus, incentives for healthy cooking and eating, encouragement of walking and other exercises while reducing sedentary time spent watching television and wellness points for involvement in everything from local road races to charitable activities. Regular newsletters with tips on nutrition, fitness and health offer guidance and encouragement to participants, according to the company.

 

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