As one of the first major steps toward encouraging and building a healthy lifestyle throughout the Northland, Norterre is pleased to announce the launch of its Action Steps Wellness program for corporate memberships. Norterre is a health and wellness destination built with heart and vision to help people improve total health, mind and body outcomes. Working with medical professionals and fitness experts, Norterre created a perfect way to boost employee engagement, improve employee health and increase the return on investment for the company. The Norterre team understands that when healthy behaviors are created, health risks decrease, and as a result, so does chronic disease – which leads to healthier, happier families and communities.

As the cost of employee medical coverage continues to rise while employee health declines, Norterre will partner with employers to assist employees in becoming their personal best through customized programs designed to meet their own wellness and health goals. It will provide employees at companies throughout Kansas City, Clay County and the surrounding Northland area with education, awareness, tools, wellness strategies, technology and social support needed to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors and ensure a long-lasting positive impact on their lives. When implemented, corporate wellness programs have been proven to reduce healthcare costs to the company by 33 percent and decrease absenteeism by 15 percent. In addition to saving the company money and improving company morale, employees also spend 10 percent less on prescriptions and 13 percent less on physician visits. At a time when health care costs are impacting every household, Norterre offers a true solution.

“Norterre is a health and wellness destination that has started a movement to put healthy living at the center of everyday life. Our goal is to empower companies, inspire families, and motivate individuals throughout the Northland to make healthy choices. We know that in the process, together we can create a healthier community,” said Steve Shields, chairman and managing partner of Norterre. “This isn’t about another diet and exercise short term fix.  It’s a lifestyle, a way of thinking, a way of living. We know that when employees participate in these programs, stress, blood pressure and other precursors for disease are reduced. But we’re taking it one step further than just a program; we’re getting to the heart of the matter by personalizing each program to each employee. That’s the only way we can truly make a difference.”

As a part of this wellness initiative, corporate members will receive annual biometric screenings at The Aurora – Norterre’s Health and Wellness Center. The Norterre Navigation Team assigned to each member will work with an individual to create a personalized plan depending on health needs and goals. Health coaches and medical program coordinators from the personal navigation teams will create and discuss appropriate programming to guide each individual through plans tailored to their individual health needs. These coaches and coordinators will use nutrition and lifestyle information to recommend and refer individuals based on their glucose and cholesterol levels, body mass index, and nutrition.

“Our Active Steps Wellness program is more than just the ordinary group membership discount plan.  It takes a scientific and technological approach combined with ongoing metrics and blends it all together with a compassionate team designed to actually help individuals get to a better health index.  As their milestones are achieved, the plans are adjusted to personally align with the individual’s progress every step of the way,” adds Melissa O’Hare, chief operating officer of Norterre. Melissa is personally involved in the design of The Aurora’s programming and medical integration.  Her background includes medical technology and services, fitness training and education, and patient and rehab services care.  “Norterre is a new way of looking at health and wellness. Our goal is to bring that vision to life throughout the corporate world in KC. If we can improve health awareness and get past fitness apathy, we will be well on our way to becoming the healthiest city in the country.”

Program members will also receive access to the entire 65,000-square-foot fitness and exercise facility of The Aurora Health and Wellness Center, which includes classes such as Zumba, Pilates, Yoga, Tai Chi, as well as cardio rehab, a 400 meter running/walking track, locker rooms with whirlpools, saunas and steam baths, warm water exercise, therapy and 25 meter lap pools, physical therapy clinic, personal trainers, spin studio and a demonstration kitchen. A child care center is also located on-site, so parents can focus on their health and wellness.

As part of the Action Steps Wellness Program, Norterre will offer ActionZone, a fully integrated website and phone app for iPhone and Android which all corporate members will receive. The app is customizable to each person with personal health assessment and screening information, and can also sync up with personal fitness devices, such as Garmin, Fitbit, or Nike+Fuel Bands. Action Zone will incorporate personal goals and user activity reports, and will encourage users to make and track positive, healthy changes in behavior. Spouses and partners can also be added to the account. Companies can promote their wellness program on this app as well by highlighting certain goals, and promote health and fitness challenges that are customized for them, while employees can receive a “reward” for reaching benchmarks. These benefits can be announced internally, tracked, and reminder notices can be provided to the employee to help with motivation through the app.  Norterre has made it easy for the company to track, administer, and monitor their health cost reductions while providing a cost benefit to their employees.

In addition, Norterre will offer integrated clinical specialty pathways designed for prevention of disease, addressing heart health, weight management, strength and balance.  As part of a comprehensive corporate wellness program, Norterre will have ongoing medically-directed therapies that address cancer recovery, stroke rehabilitation, and arthritis and pain management. The beauty of Norterre is that employees who are trying to lose weight and get healthier will have the support they need, while improving their self-esteem and turning them into happier and even more productive employees. Employees or family members who are recovering from serious issues, medical treatments, or planned surgeries will have the support they need, improving their strength and wellbeing so that they feel more empowered and in control of their situation.  Through the customized approach Norterre takes to address each individual in a personalized way, employees are able to find the inspiration and motivation to get better, feel better and be stronger.

“It is important to us to create a way for employers to not just encourage healthier lifestyles, but to help employees understand and change behaviors for themselves,” adds Shields. “We believe that by making the process easy to navigate, it is more likely that the person will continue to push for internal change and improvement. With this program, the employee and employer both benefit from these initiatives, because when people feel better, they will be more productive and miss less work due to illness. We are looking for employers in the area who share our vision to partner with us and provide a solution for a healthier lifestyle.”