Blue Shield of California wins "Best of Blue" award for next generation employee wellness program

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Sep 12, 2012, 11:00 ET

Iconic branding drives high employee engagement in personal well-being

SAN FRANCISCO and ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Blue Shield of California's employee wellness program, Wellvolution, has taken first-place honors for outstanding use of marketing in health and wellness communications in this year's Best of Blue competition. The award was presented today to Bryce Williams, Blue Shield of California's Director of Wellvolution, at the Blue National Summit in Orlando, Fla., where Blue Cross and Blue Shield executives are gathered to exchange best practices and discuss local and national industry issues.

Wellvolution's strategy links personal well-being and worksite wellness, setting a tone that is both innovative and fun. In addition to using an attention-grabbing approach with traditional channels like print collateral and email, Wellvolution is increasingly using social media-fueled wellness platforms to trigger and sustain participation. Since the launch of Wellvolution in 2008, 4 out of 5 employees have become actively engaged in wellness, 26 percent of participants have transitioned from "at risk" to "healthy," there has been a 48 percent decrease in smoking prevalence, and productivity and medical cost trends have improved.

"We're out to create the healthiest workforce in California. Changing lifelong health habits can be hard enough. Slogging through dry, boring wellness programs shouldn't make it worse," said Williams. "That's why we use head-turning programming and inspiring communications to make being healthy social and fun. This is driving tangible improvements in employee well-being that, along with healthcare delivery system reform, are critical to making health care affordable."

About Blue Shield of California
Blue Shield of California, an independent member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a not-for-profit health plan with 3.3 million members and 4,800 employees. Founded in 1939 and headquartered in San Francisco, Blue Shield of California provides health, life, dental, vision, and Medicare insurance and health care service plans in California, has one of the largest provider networks, and $9.7 billion in annual revenue. In 2012, Blue Shield of California was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. Since 2005, the company has contributed more than $200 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation, one of BusinessWeek's most generous corporate foundations. Contact your local agent or broker about Blue Shield of California products and services, or visit www.blueshieldca.com.