Bending the Trend with Health Risk Management


The presentation will highlight Intrepid Potash, Inc., a mining company with four locations in the western US (Colorado, New Mexico, and two locations in Utah) and a workforce consisting mostly of blue-collar workers in remote locations. The company initiated their wellness program, Health Counts, in 2006 with screenings and onsite wellness coordinators to run programs at various sites. By 2008 Intrepid Potash, Inc. implemented several requirements to receive health insurance and additional premium reductions and started paying 100% of several preventative services. Intrepid Potash, Inc. continues to struggle to motivate their employees to take on healthier lifestyles such as losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking and eating healthier. Employees are managing their conditions through medications but they have not taken steps to prevent further health risks and disease by changing their daily habits. This spring a new behavioral change program was launched with added incentives and a new promotional campaign. We will outline this new promotional campaign and behavior change program to show the audience how to successfully engage employees to change their health behaviors, even miners.