Page 16 - BizVoice September/October 2012

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16
BizVoice
/Indiana Chamber –
September/October 2012
I
t might seem strange at first to say there is good news and bad news when the topic is smoking
in Indiana. Yes, most of the statistics are bad – really bad – but there are a few good
indicators. And there is a new tool being developed to help turn more of the “bad” into “good.”
Good news:
Indiana’s adult smoking rate declined by 6% (27% to 21%) from 2001
to 2010.
Bad news:
More than one million adults in the state smoke and nearly 10,000
Hoosiers die each year from the effects of tobacco.
Miranda Spitznagle, director of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Commission (TPC) at
the Indiana State Department of Health, says there has been a “leveling off” locally and nationally
in recent years of the trend of reduced smoking. “That just reminds us of the need to reinvigorate
our efforts. And that’s happening.”
Good news:
More individuals want to quit smoking. TPC sees it, as do organizations actively
working to help their employees become healthier and more productive.
Bad news:
It’s not easy to reverse what has often been a lengthy practice. “The biggest
hurdle is mainly habit,” offers Angie Kleinhelter, director
of human resources for National Office Furniture. “It
doesn’t happen overnight. It’s hard to quit.”
And it’s not always easy for companies to assist their
workers while balancing the desire to respect their
individual rights. But the Wellness Council of Indiana,
through a grant received from TPC, is developing project management software that will provide
step-by-step instructions and video assistance to guide employers through the process of
managing smoke-free workplace policies and tobacco cessation programs.
Having a plan
Chuck Gillespie, program director for the Wellness Council since it became affiliated with
the Indiana Chamber of Commerce in January 2011, explains:
“Going smoke-free is a disruptive policy. It will disrupt the environment and the culture of
a workplace,” he says, listing dress code changes, pay scale adjustments and
moving from defined benefit to defined contribution plans as other examples of
disruptive policies.
“One of the keys to avoiding that is to get top managers to agree what happens
prior to implementation of the policy, what happens the day of implementation
and even during new hire orientation. Human resources managers have identified
this need and the grant will allow us to develop the software to assist companies.”
Spitznagle: “The content, the steps involved with helping a business go
tobacco-free, that work has been built and refined over the last several years.
What’s nice about the (software) is that it really takes that process and develops
it into a sustainable tool that will be accessible to more and more.”
She adds that it also will complement other TPC resources such as the Indiana
Tobacco Quitline and the Quit Now Preferred Employer program. The Quitline
provides near round-the-clock access for those wanting to stop smoking and the
employer network has grown to 800 organizations throughout the state in just
over two years.
The software will be available at no cost for all interested companies. Additional
resources will be able to be accessed through the Wellness Council, which has
increased its membership by more than 400% over the past 18 months and is
assisting Indiana organizations and their employees with comprehensive
workplace wellness programs and solutions.
By Tom Schuman
No More Smoking
Companies to Benefit FromNew Software Tool
“Smoking kills more people than
alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs,
murders and suicides combined.”
Smoking by the Numbers
Nationally
• 46 million adults smoke
• 443,000 deaths each year
• $96 billion in direct medical expenditures
• $97 billion in annual productivity losses
Indiana
• 1 million-plus adults smoke
• 9,700-plus deaths each year
• $2.2 billion annual health care costs
u
$1,137 billion (hospital)
u
$372 million (prescription drugs)
u
$318 million (ambulatory)
u
$215 million (nursing home)
u
$138 million (other)
• $3,391 cost per employee
($1,760 in lost
productivity and $1,623 in excess medical
expenditures)