The American Corporation as a Surprisingly Suitable Venue for Integrative Health and Wellness
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Authors
Preisendorf, Dawn M.
Issue Date
2010
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
employee wellness, corporate wellness, integrative medicine, integrative health, integrative wellness, health insurance, health care costs, coaching, health coaching, holistic health, CAM, complementary and alternative medicine, health care reform, mind-body medicine, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Alternative Title
Abstract
Rapidly rising American healthcare costs and dramatic increases in chronic disease are causing several organizations to consider new models for healthcare. Yet, many models are myopically focused on improving biomarkers, cannot thrive within the existing medical model, or require widespread culture shifts to be successful. This paper presents the Integrative Employee Wellness model - a framework for integrative health and wellness that is centered within the American corporation. Implementing the Integrative Employee Wellness model does not require widespread paradigm shifts, but rather takes advantage of existing systems and infrastructure and is in full alignment with the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Integrative Employee Wellness model creates greater possibility for sustainable health improvement by providing for an integrative health coach who educates, supports, and guides individuals in using existing conventional and alternative medical care, while also considering other self-care activities that create whole-health in body, mind, and spirit. The model takes advantage of existing employer-provided health insurance and employee wellness programs, and the resulting productivity gains that can be realized from a healthier workforce. After describing the model, the author concludes the paper with an implementation discussion.