WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Corporate Health and Wellness Association announces its advisory board, which draws upon the expertise of employers who are leaders in health and wellness http://www.healthandwellnessassociation.com. The CHWA is a not-for-profit organization made up of top U.S. employers from both the private and public sectors focused on health, wellness, prevention and disease management for employers, employees and their families. "Now, more than ever, is the time to be proactive instead of reactive when talking about health and health care costs," states Sarah Lecuna from Intuit. "Wellness is one of the vessels that will lead the way in being a proactive approach in reducing health care costs. From an employer's perspective it is important to create and support a culture of wellness to improve employee health, productivity and engagement while trying to manage cost, and from an individual's perspective, using the tools and programs provided to assist in making the right lifestyle choices that reduce risk and help reach and maintain a healthy lifestyle."

The goal of the health and wellness association will be to promote health and wellness in the workplace and to foster an atmosphere of education and engagement with health and wellness programs in the workplace. Michelle Principato from PepsiAmericas, Inc. says, "Healthy employees are one of our most important business assets. Therefore, the impact that the employee's behavior has on their own health -- and on the health care costs we all share, requires that we have a holistic approach to wellness incorporating tactics related to physical, financial and personal well-being." This is the first employer association dedicated to corporate wellness. "A healthy and productive workforce is a competitive business advantage. Employers who focus on efforts to help employees make healthy lifestyle choices can expect to see a highly engaged workforce," said Michael Taylor from Caterpillar, Inc.

Current Advisory Board Members Are:

Michael Taylor, MD, Medical Director for Health Promotion, Caterpillar Inc.

Michelle Principato, Manager, Benefits, PepsiAmericas, Inc.

Stacey Hubbard, Wellness Coordinator, American Medical Association

Sarah Lecuna, Sr. Benefits Analyst, Intuit Inc.

Emily Aronis, Wellness Administrator, Bombardier Aerospace

Ebi Awosika, MD, MPH, Director, Employee Health Promotion Disease Promotion, Veterans Health Administration

Susan Bumpas, Benefit Plans Analyst, University of Arkansas System

Susan Hannegan, Health Management Program Manager, Jack in the Box

Missy Jarrott, Director of Human Resources, Chatham Steel Corporation

Larry Boress, President and CEO, Midwest Business Group on Health

L. Casey Chosewood, MD, Office of Strategy and Innovation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Marilyn Batan, Public Health Analyst, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Beena Thomas, MPH, Wellness Director, WellPoint

Kathleen Loughrey, Office of the Secretary for Health and Human Services

The Association's official magazine is the Corporate Wellness Magazine, http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com.

The Corporate Health and Wellness Association also announces its first official annual conference dedicated solely to corporate health and wellness with a large focus on attendees from mid size to large employers, associations and affinity groups, large consulting firms and health insurance agents, third party administrators and the leading corporate wellness companies. The CHWA annual conference will take place October 27th and 28th, 2009 in Los Angeles, California and will feature up to 400 high level executives and up to 20 sponsors. http://www.corporatewellnessconference.com. Some of the sponsors of the conference are Anthem Blue Cross, Humana, Weight Watchers, CR Certification Corporation, Concentra, Lifestyle Fitness, Inc., eDocAmerica, Sibson Consulting, National Health Services, BioSphere Medical, Maxim Health Systems, Total Well-Being, the Hemophilia Alliance and California Broker Magazine.

The CWHA Association's Mission is:

    --  To raise the awareness of the importance of living a healthy lifestyle
        and the benefits of employers implementing health and wellness programs.
    --  To provide a reliable source of information, statistics and research
        data on health and wellness for employers, affinity groups, insurance
        companies, insurance agents and consultants.
    --  To perform research and surveys in the area of Corporate Wellness.

    --  To focus on improved methods and ways to get employees to
        "engage" in corporate wellness programs.

For more information on the Corporate Health and Wellness Association please contact us through email at info@healthandwellnessassociation.com.

    MEDIA CONTACT:
    Anna Konger
    Health & Wellness Association
    Telephone:  561.204.3676
    Fax:  561.792.4428
    anna@healthandwellnessassociation.com
    12856 82nd Lane North
    West Palm Beach, FL  33412

SOURCE Health and Wellness Association