Texas Coalition for Worksite Wellness

Please attribute the following statement to Dr. Marianne Fazen, president and CEO of the Texas Business Group on Health and leader of the Texas Coalition for Worksite Wellness:

“Comptroller Combs’ call for Texas employers to embrace prevention, wellness and healthy lifestyle choices is timely and needed. The comptroller lends a powerful voice to employers and health care advocates who are focused on improving Texans’ health as an effective way to manage continuously rising health care costs.

“As the burden of obesity continues to take its toll on our state, it makes sense for employers to invest more of their health care dollars in prevention, wellness and value-based benefit design.

“Studies show that every dollar invested in worksite health promotion yields $3.50 to nearly $6.00 in savings through reduced absenteeism, increased worker productivity and decreased health care costs.

“The tide is turning, and it is our hope that the comptroller’s focus on obesity will encourage businesses, policymakers and health care professionals in our state to take immediate steps to tighten the belt around obesity in Texas.”

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The Comptroller’s Obesity report is online at http://www.cpa.state.tx.us/news2007/070323obesity.html