Customer Background

Following two rounds of biometric testing that revealed its employees’ health was stagnant – and in some cases, regressing – a Vancouver police department sought to implement a program that would improve the health and wellness of its workforce and deliver quantifiable results.

Over an eight-month period, Horizon rolled out a Health & Wellness Pilot Program to a municipal force of 105 first responders within an organization that has served the community for nearly 110 years.

Customer Request

Develop and implement a customized pilot program to:

1. Improve overall health and wellness
2. Prevent future illness and injury
3. Quantify the effectiveness of the program

Horizon’s Plan

Upon reviewing the workforce’s physically demanding scope of work, Horizon implemented a comprehensive wellness program targeting multiple areas of first responder health and wellbeing. Program components were offered in different formats to allow employees to customize their experience based on their schedules, needs and areas of concern.

The program offered:

• Blood profiles including lipid profile, blood sugar levels and blood pressure
• One-on-one fitness and nutrition assessments with personalized program development and follow-up sessions
• Desk and vehicle ergonomic assessments and recommendations
• Activity and sleep tracking through smart devices
• Private coaching and counselling
• Health challenges to motivate and inspire
• Ongoing digital support through Carebook^TM, a confidential, online results portal delivering personalized recommendations and follow up
• Educational resources through webinars and digital newsletters

"80% of employers offer some sort of preventative health and wellness service and/or information. However, only about 22% perform needs assessments before investing in wellness initiatives, and only 27% consistently evaluate them."

– Society for Human Resource Management, 2015

Horizon’s approach is to provide comprehensive programs along with meaningful outcome metrics in a cost-effective and efficient manner. Our programming starts with expert medical support and mandates highly sensitive testing and health risk assessments.

Program Outcomes

Improved health markers

• 62.5% of participants lost weight
• More than 55% of participants experienced improvements in blood glucose, total cholesterol (HDL and LDL) and triglycerides

Improved wellbeing

• Ergonomic assessments increased workplace comfort for 86% of participants; 72% expressed feeling less pain as a result
• 71% of participants improved their eating habits and are more empowered to make healthy food choices; 85% reported reduced processed food intake
• 92% of participants feel more energized and well-rested, saying the program significantly improved their health, wellbeing and stress levels
• 70% of participants reported an increase in daily physical activity, improved endurance, finding daily activities easier to manage and feeling better able to fit exercise into their unique schedules
• 92% of participants gained knowledge about the importance of mental health; 82% acquired new tools and strategies to manage it

Interested in learning how Horizon's Health & Wellness programs could help your organization?