A number of DaimlerChrysler employees and family members experience health improvements while the company sees substantial financial savings WINDSOR, ON, May 10 /CNW Telbec/ - An innovative health partnership pilotprogram initiated by Pfizer Canada was recently completed at DaimlerChrysler'sWindsor Assembly Plant. It has shown that workplace health programs canimprove employees' health and provide substantial savings to the employer andthe public healthcare system. Tune Up Your Heart was launched in 2003 at Windsor Assembly Plant inpartnership with DaimlerChrysler Canada, the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW),Pfizer Canada, the Windsor and Essex County Health Unit and Solutions inHealth Inc. The year-long program was designed to assess and reduce the risksof heart disease among employees and retirees of DaimlerChrysler Canada toimprove their quality of life and productivity, as well as to reduce healthcare costs to the company and the healthcare system. The program operated in two parts. In part one, each employee was giventhe opportunity to be assessed and to receive a personalized reporthighlighting his/her risk of developing cardiac disease over the next10 years. In the second part, over 370 employees volunteered for a 12-monthfollow-up program where they interacted with various healthcare providers toset realistic goals to improve their cardiovascular health. Focusing onmodifiable risk factors - including smoking, hypertension, abnormalcholesterol, diabetes, obesity and physical activity - the employees werepresented with a variety of education modules to affect a positive change inthese risk factors. The results were dramatic. Almost half of the participants lost anaverage 16 pounds each or an overall total of 2,330 pounds. Among those athighest cardiovascular risk, there was a 36 percent reduction in smoking.There was also a significant increase in compliance to prescribed medicationsand a more appropriate use of cardiovascular medicines. Overall, the participants managed to reduce their 10-year cardiovascularrisk from an average level of "moderate" at the start of the program to anaverage of "low risk" at the program's end. An independent actuarial analysis was conducted to assess the direct costimpact of these results in five key areas of direct benefit costs: short- andlong-term disability, casual absenteeism, prescription drug costs and grouplife insurance. The analysis estimates the results could save over $2 millionin 10 years if implemented across DaimlerChrysler Canada. "It's really encouraging to see organizations like DaimlerChrysler andPfizer taking steps to help employees stay healthy and active on the job,"said Jim Watson, Ontario's Minister of Health Promotion. "Corporations thatinvest in the health and well-being of their employees know the benefits ofpromoting workplace wellness. It is also encouraging to see innovativepartnerships being formed to help develop these healthy strategies." "We are very pleased to see how the Tune Up Your Heart program haspositively influenced the health of our employees and retirees," said RickThrasher, Senior Manager, Benefits, Hourly Compensation and Employment,DaimlerChrysler Canada. "We appreciate the valuable partnership created withPfizer Canada, a leader in cardiovascular research. We have experienced thebenefits of such programs and look forward to introducing new initiatives aspart of our overall 'Working Towards Wellness' program." "As Canada's leading research-based pharmaceutical company, Pfizer Canadahas a major focus on cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death inCanada. Tune Up Your Heart demonstrates how partnerships can lead to thecreation of 'smart practices' that can make meaningful differences to thehealth of Canadians and result in important savings for the healthcaresystem," said Guy Lallemand, Vice-President, Government and Public Affairs,for Pfizer Canada. Cardiovascular disease is a major health concern in Canada with asignificant impact on employees, employers and the healthcare system. It isthe cause of death for more than one-third of Canadians and has been estimatedto cause $20 billion in direct and indirect costs. It is the third leadingcause of long-term disability in Canada, accounting for $3.2 billion in costsin 1998, according to the most recent statistics available. ABOUT PFIZER CANADA INC. Pfizer Canada is the Canadian operation of Pfizer, the world's leadingresearch-based pharmaceutical company. Pfizer discovers and develops leadingprescription medicines for both humans and animals, as well as many of theworld's best-known over-the-counter healthcare products. As a proud member ofIMAGINE, Canada's national program to promote corporate giving, volunteeringand community support, Pfizer Canada invests in and works with over 1,000non-profit organizations and community projects across Canada. Pfizer Canadaemploys more than 2,000 people across the country and is headquartered inKirkland, Quebec.

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