Atlanta, GA (November 24, 2008) — The Atlanta Regional Health Forum and the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank are bringing business and governmental employers together to discuss the health and cost-saving benefits of worker wellness initiatives. The forum will be held tomorrow, Friday, December 5, at the Federal Reserve Bank. Those in attendance will learn from business and government leaders who implemented successful initiatives that produced direct, positive impacts on their company’s bottom-line.

Chronic illness costs the U S approximately $1.1 trillion in lost work productivity. The National Business Group on Health believes that both the public and private sector should support and reward effective and efficient preventive medicine. Prevention will drastically improve health outcomes, curtail chronic diseases and will significantly reduce costs. These facts lead us to recognize that the discussion of health in our nation must be broader than who pays the health insurance premium.

The Atlanta Regional Health Forum wants to initiate action throughout this region among the business, health and governmental leaders to both understand and begin to improve the health of our population. Our first step is to bring together a group of employers from these various sectors to look at data, listen to health economists and health professionals in order to increase understanding of the causes for our poor health outcomes. This first session will present proven examples and information for reduced cost and increased productivity through employer wellness initiatives. From this initial meeting, ARHF will recruit partners to expand the educational activity and convene those willing to identify and implement proven interventions that will reduce health care costs and improve the health of our population.

December 5 event details:

Date/Time —
Friday, December 5- 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Location —
Federal Reserve Bank
1000 Peachtree Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30309

Presenters —

• David Connell, Georgia Power Co.
• Terri Forman, T I Automotive
• Meg Kelsey, City of LaGrange, GA

Registration —
Registration is required. Those who wish to attend, free of charge, can register at www.arhf.net.

About Atlanta Regional Health Forum — ARHF is a nonpartisan coalition operating as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to creating healthy local communities which ensure the highest health potential for each person within the ten core county region of metropolitan Atlanta. The mission of the Atlanta Regional Health Forum is to transform the health of the Atlanta region by encouraging, enabling, and empowering communities and individuals to achieve their fullest health potential. For more information on the Atlanta Regional Health Forum please visit our Web site at www.arhf.net.