MEDIA RELEASE

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has announced the launch of “Maintain Don’t Gain,” a free toolkit available for businesses to help their employees maintain their best health during the holidays.

The toolkit supports a simple and successful campaign (from Halloween through New Year’s Day) that encourages healthy camaraderie and eating habits among employees.

“Maintain Don’t Gain brings a high-quality health and wellness program directly to the workplace,” said Suzanne Fields, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s Sales Manager for HealthWorks and Kaiser On-the-Job. “Since there is a direct correlation between health and higher productivity, encouraging healthy lifestyles and developing prevention strategies help employers get the most out of their health care dollars.”

The Maintain Don’t Gain tool kit includes:

* An eight-week program providing employers with a step-by-step outline of activities to help employees avoid holiday weight gain
* A checklist outlining dates, activities, and ideas to make it easy for employers to implement this eight-week program
* A weekly personal tracker to help employees stay on the path to success
* Promotional materials including flyers, posters, and tent cards
* Weekly emails employers can send to employees containing challenges, tips, and links to more information on staying healthy through the holidays

“About an hour a week is all it takes for employers to make this holiday season a healthy one for their employees and their businesses using our ‘Maintain Don’t Gain’ toolkit,” Fields said. “One extra pound during the holiday season is what most people gain every year. It may not seem like much, but it adds up. And people who are already overweight tend to gain even more. Over time, this extra weight can reduce employees’ effectiveness and even lead to major medical risks.”

“Maintain Don’t Gain” is part of HealthWorks, a healthy workforce program through which Kaiser Permanente works with employers to assess opportunities for improving employees’ health and well being.