‘Health Means Business’ in Columbus and Chattahoochee Valley

What does Columbus have in common with Denver, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Memphis, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles?

They are the 12 cities where the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has conducted its “Health Means Business” forums, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Despite being the smallest city on that list, the Columbus area business community has a big-league focus on the value of healthcare.

“It’s exceptional that a city like Columbus can be on the list,” said Ryland Harrelson, executive vice president and chief human resources officers for Columbus-based credit card an electronic payments processor TSYS. “… Truly, it is critical to the success of our community.”

And the Chattahoochee Valley’s mix of urban and rural environments makes making health mean business an even tougher challenge — and even more urgent.

That’s why the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce wanted to host this final stop on the two-year campaign, which will culminate in the “Health Means Business” inaugural national summit, Feb. 15-16 in Washington, D.C., where the Healthy10 Awards will be presented, honoring healthy communities and organizations.

Health care is the No. 1 topic the chamber has with companies considering the Columbus area, chamber President and CEO Brian Anderson told more than 100 local business, health and education leaders gathered Thursday in the Cunningham Center at Columbus State University.

“They may come in and talk about water and rail and infrastructure and sites, but that’s like the third or fourth or fifth conversation,” Anderson said. “The first thing they ask is, ‘How can you ensure that I’ll have the talent to make sure I can get the job done?’ So benefits, compensation but also health care and what you can deliver becomes a part of that.”

That’s an increasingly difficult conversation for rural Georgia, comprising approximately 2 million residents, or 1 out of every 5 Georgians, said Gary Nelson, president of the Healthcare Georgia Foundation.

“Many now reside in medical deserts,” he said, “where access to care is severely compromised.”

At least eight hospitals have closed in Georgia since 2001, and another 35 are considered financially vulnerable, Nelson said. If they also close, an estimated 5,400 health-care jobs, 600,000 patient visits, 7,500 community jobs and $15.3 billion in gross domestic product would be lost, he said.

“With each hospital and rural clinic that closes, and the departure of a community’s only health-care provider,” Nelson said, “there are devastating and potentially irreversible consequences. Closed hospitals don’t reopen. Providers who leave don’t return.”

The Office of Rural Health considers 108 of Georgia’s 159 counties as rural, meaning their population is less than 35,000. Thirty-four of the 40 counties ranked as the least healthy are rural.

“We need to recognize that, indeed, health means business,” Nelson said.

Elyse Cohen, director of the health and wellness programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and executive director of the “Health Means Business” campaign, described the problem on the national level.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that employers annually lose $1,700 per employee due to health problems. That amounts to $226 billion in lost worker productivity each year, according to the CDC. The U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other nation but ranks in the middle for life expectancy and nearly last among developed nations, Cohen said.

“Too often we don’t make the connection between health and economic impact,” Cohen said. “Yet, if we want to be healthier, if we want our neighbors to be healthier, if we want future generations to grow up healthier, we need to be thinking and doing holistically.”

Richard Crespin, a senior fellow at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, said the “Health Means Business” campaign brings a simple yet profound message: When communities are healthier, they are wealthier; when they are wealthier, they are healthier.

“In that one sentence,” Crespin said, sparking laughter, “I’ve just summed up 30 years of public health research.”

Crespin asked the participants what they think is the No. 1 barrier preventing the community from improving its health. Representatives of each table mentioned the following factors: cost, time, ownership, attitude, priority, where to start, communication, collaboration, culture, diet and exercise, money, economic development, jobs, disjointed efforts, how to use additional money, leadership training, clarity, patient engagement, access to affordable healthcare and insurance acceptance.

Improving a community’s health takes work and commitment from every sector, Cohen said. “There is no magic bullet, no quick fix,” she said.

A big chunk of the answer doesn’t have to do with healthcare, Cohen said. An estimated 40 percent of what comprises our health is contained in the environments where we live, work and play, she said.

So businesses can start with making an investment in a local nonprofit organization and viewing it as part of an economic development strategy, Cohen said.

Businesses also can let their employees create competitions that promote healthy behaviors, make healthy food available and become a Health Means Business Champion and take the Wellness Pledge by registering at HealthMeansBusiness.com.

TSYS has nearly 12,000 employees in more than 20 countries, with approximately 4,000 in the Columbus area.

“When we go into a new location, we always put health first,” Harrelson said. “Health is the heart of TSYS.”

When TSYS attracts prospective employees, Harrelson said, “one of those reasons being that we offer the right kind of health care plans.”

Harrelson outlined some of the ways TSYS tries to improve the health of its employees and communities:

▪ Employees are offered an annual health assessment. Along with the results, they receive recommendations.

▪ TSYS subsidizes healthy food options in the cafeteria, where the calorie content of items is posted.

▪ A gym, walking trail and track are on site, and discounts are offered at health clubs.

▪ All TSYS facilities are nonsmoking.

▪ Work stations are ergonomically designed.

▪ Lunch-and-learns about health topics are conducted.

▪ A variety of medical plans are offered to meet diverse insurance needs.

▪ Last month, TSYS implemented a program from telehealth provider MDLIVE, giving employees access to medical advice from a board certified doctor via phone or video 24/7/365.

▪ TSYS sponsors blood drives and health screenings. The company also contributes to several health-related charities, and employees raise money for those efforts by participating in walks, runs and golf tournaments.

▪ TSYS contributes more than $1 million each year to the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, and the company donated $1 million in December 2015 to create a Mother-Baby area at Midtown Medical Center.

▪ Employees are given 20 paid hours per year to volunteer in the community or spend time with their children.

Beyond the economics of such investments, Harrelson said, “It’s simply the right thing to do.”

This story was originally published February 2, 2017 at 5:12 PM with the headline "‘Health Means Business’ in Columbus and Chattahoochee Valley."