September 28, 2011 – Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle, along with his wife Deb, received their flu shots today at the City’s Health Fair, held at the Fire Union Hall. The Fair is designed to promote the City’s new Health and Wellness Plan which begins in January. The goal is for city employees to adopt healthy lifestyles which could significantly cut down on the City’s health care costs. “Research clearly shows that employers who invest in wellness generally see savings with a drop in health claims, fewer sick days, less turnover and greater productivity,” said Mayor Suttle. “Right now between 70-90 percent of health care spending comes from preventable and modifiable health risks such as smoking, a lack of exercise, stress, obesity, high blood pressure, not wearing a seat belt, and high alcohol use.”
The Mayor is encouraging employees to take advantage of the Wellness Program offered by the City.
Statistics show that the average employee has between 2-3 health risks which translated to around $1.2 million in costs that could be avoided. It also means an average cost of $800,000 in lost productivity, and around $117,000 in missed days of work. “Our City’s Health Care costs continue to rise, and are unsustainable at their current rate,” said Mayor Suttle. “$56 million, nearly 10% of the 2012 city budget, is devoted to employee health care. Currently, Omaha ranks near the bottom, 142nd out of 182 cities, with respect to obesity, nutrition, physical activity, smoking, and drinking. In the past 15 years, Omaha has seen an 80 percent increase in obesity rate and our hope is to bring that rate down.”
Mayor Jim Suttle receives his flu shot at the City Health Fair with his wife, Deb
