Partnership Promotes Workplace Health, Diabetes Prevention

ENGLEWOOD, Colo (CBS4) - Colorado is one of the healthiest states in the nation, but still 410,312 people are living with diabetes and another 1.3 million have prediabetes and are at risk of developing diabetes.

Now the American Diabetes Association and Centura Health are partnering to provide more comprehensive care to diabetes patients and encourage healthy lifestyles in the workplace.

Three days a week a dozen or so Centura Health employees take part in a lunchtime boot camp.

"It's hard. It's hard," Travis Rivers, a recruiter for Centura Health told CBS4.

Rivers joined the boot camp right after he started working for Centura Health.

"It's a great way to stay in shape ... breaks up the day a little bit too," Rivers explained.

Centura Health offers this exercise program among a host of other healthy lifestyle opportunities as part of the Wellness Lives Here initiative . In partnership with the ADA, it's encouraging every employer to develop a Wellness Lives Here program tailored to their workplace.

"If you have employees that are staying healthier, they're not going to be absent from work," said Dr. Steve Milligan, the ACO Medical Director.

The American Diabetes Association is also working with Centura Health to provide more comprehensive care to patients living with diabetes.

"They are providing us with extra tools and resources that we need for diabetes prevention and living with diabetes," said Rhonda Rogers, the Director of Care Coordination for Colorado Health Neighborhoods, part of the Centura Health network.

LINK: Colorado Health Neighborhoods

Centura health care workers will be using ADA materials, programs, and classes to help teach patients with diabetes more about taking care of themselves, including regular eye exams, foot care, and regular exercise.

Both organizations hope this partnership will reduce the cost of diabetes in the workplace. In the United States, diabetes and prediabetes costs an estimated $322 billion per year, with 1 in 5 health care dollars spent on caring for people with diabetes.

LINK: Colorado Chapter of the American Diabetes Association

Libby Smith is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. If you have a story you'd like to tell CBS4 about, call 303-863-TIPS (8477) or visit the News Tips section.