St. Thomas Health Care's wellness health risk assessments engage employees to understand and improve their health behaviors. After completing a health risk assessment and biometric screening at one of our worksite or medical center-based screening programs, employees receive a confidential report focusing on their personal health risk factors. Each report includes customized suggestions on what he/she can do to improve his/her health - and reduce health risks. By reducing employee health risks, absenteeism and health care costs are minimized. The health risk assessment is the first step to improving the health culture in the workplace. By making changes to their daily habits, employees can improve their long-term health and wellness.

What comprises a wellness health risk assessment?

Each employee completes a health risk assessment, which is offered online or in paper form, to help identify potential health risks usually derived from family history, personal history, and lifestyle. The results of the health risk assessment can help the individual become aware of any risk factors for potential health problems. A personal wellness profile (PWP) combines health risk assessment results with the participant's biometric screening results to give recommendations and preventive actions. Here are some of the key areas covered in a health screening:

• Overall wellness
• Fitness
• Heart health
• Nutrition
• Substance use

Health screening reporting and results

The health risk assessment findings will suggest preventive actions for an individual to take to help him or her prevent serious health problems. Next steps are based on an individual's answers in the questionnaire. He or she will also receive an overall wellness score based on the number of positive health indicators found in the assessment. Employee participants with extreme risk values are advised to follow up with their personal physicians.