Smart Bodies, the educational program developed by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation and the LSU AgCenter to fight childhood obesity, was recognized Oct. 6 for its innovativeness and success as a 2008 winner of the BlueWorks® program. BlueWorks is a unique collaboration between the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) and the Harvard Medical School Department of Health Care Policy, honoring innovation in successful approaches to improving health and wellness for members and consumers.
Through the BlueWorks program, Harvard researchers evaluate and select Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies’ local programs for recognition based on their innovation, efficacy, robust design and potential for replication. Since the inception of BlueWorks in 2004, Harvard has recognized 43 Blue Cross and Blue Shield programs for their ground-breaking work to promote health and wellness and enable consumers to better manage their healthcare choices.
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana should be applauded for its efforts to improve the quality of healthcare for consumers,” said Scott P. Serota, BCBSA president and CEO. “Smart Bodies is a prime example of the great work that Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are doing to drive health and wellness and make navigating healthcare choices easier for consumers.”
The goal of the Smart Bodies program is to promote lifelong healthy eating patterns and a physically active lifestyle to children in Louisiana and their families. The three-part program combines classroom activities with hands-on learning and physical activity to:
increase children’s basic knowledge of nutrition
improve their understanding of the importance of physical activity
increase the time they spend in physical activity
increase their intake of fruits and vegetables
teach children about the body’s digestive system
BCBSLA has supported Smart Bodies since 2005, when it helped launch the program with a five-year grant. By the end of 2007, Smart Bodies had been implemented in 52 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, with the goal to reach every parish by the end of 2009.
The LSU AgCenter has reported several positive results, including increases in participating children’s knowledge about and willingness to consume fruits and vegetables, increased knowledge of physical activity and increased likelihood to be physically active during their participation in the Smart Bodies activities. More information about the program, including more detailed research results, is on the web at www.smartbodies.org.
According to HarvardMedicalSchool’s Department of Health Care Policy, each BlueWorks program promotes a better understanding of the issue at hand and improves the effectiveness of healthcare for the consumer and the healthcare system as a whole. With one in three school-aged children in Louisiana reported as overweight, the Smart Bodies program exemplifies how Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is responding to a current healthcare need with an original program that is showing remarkable impact.
“The Smart Bodies program is an outstanding example of our company’s ability and willingness to form partnerships with other healthcare stakeholders for the benefit of the communities we serve,” said Christy Reeves, director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation. “Smart Bodies has truly been a worthwhile investment for Blue Cross that demonstrates our commitment to the health of all Louisianians and our vision for a healthy future for our state.”
The other BlueWorks programs that were recognized for their innovation and success were:
1.Caring Program: Care Coordination for Children with Special Health Care Needs (Highmark Blue Shield’s Caring Foundation, Pennsylvania)
2.Applications of Indirect Estimation of Race/Ethnicity Data in Health Plan Activities (Anthem Blue Cross, California)
3.Enhancing Statin Therapy Efficiency (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas)
BlueWorks programs are helping to improve healthcare quality, value and access while enabling consumers to become more engaged in their health and wellness. For more information about all of the Harvard-recognized programs that have been awarded the BlueWorks distinction, please visit http://www.bcbs.com/innovations/blueworks/. To learn more about Smart Bodies, contact Program Coordinator Denise Holston at 225.578.4573 or dholston@agcenter.lsu.edu, or visit www.smartbodies.org.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is Louisiana-owned and -operated. Marking its 75th anniversary in 2009, the company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It is a tax-paying mutual company, owned by its policyholders. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also has district offices in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport. The company’s subsidiaries include HMO Louisiana, Inc. and Southern National Life Insurance Company, Inc. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.bcbsla.com.
About the LSU AgCenter
The LSU AgCenter focuses on providing all Louisiana citizens with innovations, information and education on such topics as lawns and gardens, crops and livestock, family and home, money and business, community matters, food and health, environment and natural resources and kids and teens. It operates a network of extension offices and research stations across Louisiana. For more information, visit the AgCenter’s website at www.lsuagcenter.com.
About the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 39 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for more than 102 million individuals — one in three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit www.BCBS.com.
LWCC
In recognition of Fire Prevention Month, Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation (LWCC) is reminding employers to educate their employees about fire safety in the workplace.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) reports that workplace fires and explosions kill 200 workers and injure more than 5,000 workers each year.
On average, 7,000 fires per year occur in office buildings, putting people out of work and greatly impacting their lives and livelihoods. The major causes of fires in the workplace are misuse of electrical equipment or electrical failure (such as overloading fuses), placing combustible materials near heat sources, using equipment with frayed cords or bent prongs, and improperly storing flammable materials.
“It’s important for employers to be prepared in the event of a fire,” says Michael Page, director of safety and loss prevention for LWCC. “Employers should implement a fire evacuation plan and make sure that employees practice these procedures periodically throughout the year so that everyone knows exactly what to do in case of a fire emergency.”
Among the most important steps of any workplace fire evacuation plan are making sure that exit routes are properly marked and free of obstacles, that fire extinguishers are available and in proper working order and that employees know how to use them, and that batteries in smoke detectors are changed regularly.
“Fires not only destroy workplaces, they destroy jobs,” says Page. “Whether you’re in a factory or in an office, it is important to recognize and eliminate fire risks. As winter nears, we hope that the many messages employees hear about fire prevention in the home will carry over into the workplace.”
The following are some fire safety tips for the workplace:
Ensure that fire safety equipment is free and clear of obstructions and readily available. If your building has the following, check to confirm:
Fire extinguishers are easily accessible and not obstructed.
Manual fire alarm pull boxes on the walls are accessible.
Emergency lights are positioned properly to illuminate the path.
Exit doors are clear and unobstructed.
Sprinkler heads are not obstructed by storage (18-inch minimum clearance).
Access to sprinkler system risers is clear and unobstructed.
Ensure that the exterior of your building does not present a fire risk. Check to confirm:
Access to and around the building is clear and unobstructed.
There is clear access to fire equipment, such as fire hydrants, automatic sprinkler connections, and sprinkler control valves.
Designated smoking areas have noncombustible receptacles for discarding the material.
Vegetation and other combustible materials are not accumulating adjacent to the building or equipment.
In your office area check to confirm:
Extension cords are not used in place of permanent wiring.
Surge suppressors are used for computer circuits.
Electrical lights are clear of combustible materials.
Heat-producing appliances are clear of combustibles.
Combustibles are not stored in front of electrical panels.
Portable heaters are UL-listed.
For more fire safety information, including topics such as Planning An Effective Evacuation Procedure, Extinguishing Fire Hazards, and Quick Tips from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), visit LWCC’s Web site at www.lwcc.com.
LWCC (www.lwcc.com) is a private, nonprofit mutual insurance company. It is Louisiana’s largest writer of workers’ compensation insurance, covering more than 21,000 policyholders in the state. LWCC was recently named, for the seventh consecutive year, one of the top 50 property and casualty insurance companies in the nation—out of more than 3,000—by Ward Group, the leading authority on insurance industry benchmarking
Latest Program Statistics
As of October 13, 2008
Total applications recorded:
185,106 (final)
Initial appointments held:
166,093 (final)
Eligible applicants:
155,371
Benefit options selected:
143,335
Option 1 - 125,535
Option 2 - 10,141
Option 3 - 2,894
Declined benefits - 2,345
Delayed benefit selection - 2,300
Completed applications:
133,571
Closed - 118,646
No Funding/zero awards - 12,580
Declined awards - 2,345
Total amount of awards disbursed:
$7.1 billion*
Average award disbursed:
$60,562*
* These numbers are reported as of October 9, 2008.
The National World War II Museum and Veterans will officially top out (Thursday, October 16, 2008 10:00 a.m.) Veterans to sign steel beam 10:30 a.m. Official ceremony commemorating topping out the new Victory Theater and Stage Door Canteen complex with a special ceremony to commemorate this major milestone in the fast-moving construction project across from the institution’s existing facility. The Museum will also salute Entergy and the Entergy Foundation for making the first $1 million gift to the capital expansion.
Upon its completion approximately one year from now, the Victory Theater will screen regular showings of Beyond All Boundaries, a cinematic experience designed exclusively for the Museum by Director Paul Hettema and Executive Producer Tom Hanks. The Stage Door Canteen will be a lively, 1940s-style entertainment venue and restaurant.
MedServe
MedServe, with its operating subsidiaries, ENSERV, ENVIROSOLVE, and MedShred, has been recognized as one of Houston Business Journal’s FAST 100 companies for 2008. With a percentage of revenue growth of 910.7% for the period of 2005 through 2007, MedServe was ranked 3rd in this year's “HOUSTON FAST 100,” as announced at a gala awards ceremony at the Westin - Galleria Hotel in Houston, TX.
Hurricane Insurance
You are invited to have "Lunch With the League" NEW LOCATION:Drusilla Place, 3482 Drusilla Lane, Baton Rouge, LA70809
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
Registration: 11:15 a.m. ~ Networking: 11:30 a.m. ~ Program at 12 Noon
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED - Your selection menu will be sent with your confirmation!
The League of WoMen Voters has invited a diverse panel to discuss
a topic of great interest especially to homeowners affected by Gustav and Ike:
Louisiana homeowners and YOUR Hurricane deductibles Confirmed Guest Speakers:
1. Representative Charles E. "Chuck" Kleckley, Chair, House Insurance Committee 2. Isabel Wingerter, Deputy Director, Consumer Protection Section, LA Attorney General's Office 3. Ed O'Brien, Deputy Commissioner, of the Property and Casualty Division, LA Dept. of Insurance 4. Kevin Cunningham, Spokesman, American Insurance Association
The public is encouraged to attend. Please make your reservations today.
Tickets: $25.00; Cash or Checks Only LWVBR Member's Discount rate: $20.00*
To make your reservations send: your name, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address
to lwvbr@lwvbr.org or call League Voice Mail with this information: (225) 334.9999
