UnitedHealthcare, Raytheon launch wellness program

PROVIDENCE – A new pilot workplace wellness program, JOIN, has been launched this month by UnitedHealthcare and Raytheon, one of the region’s largest employers, in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Focused on extending wellness programs to children of employees, the program seeks to help kids and teens achieve a healthier weight to combat the national epidemic of obesity.
About 75 families are expected to participate in the 12-month pilot program that, if successful, could serve as a rollout for a national program, according to UnitedHealthcare officials.
As part of the program, families will attend 16 weekly group sessions in their local communities for four months, where they will learn about evidence-based clinical recommendations that help children and teens adopt healthier habits. These include diet, exercise and proper sleep as well as how to cut back on TV and video game time, and understanding the link between moods and foods.
In each 75-minute session, about 10 families work together to reach personalized weight goals and support each other through the process. A trained facilitator leads each group.
At the end of each session, each family is given an activity to complete at home throughout the week that will help them put into practice the healthy habits they have learned.
After completing the first 16 sessions, families are offered monthly mastery sessions for up to a year.
JOIN is available at no charge to Raytheon employees and their families who live in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and who are enrolled in a UnitedHealthcare medical benefit plan.
“JOIN underscores the importance of engaging not just employees, but the entire family who are often covered under the employer’s health plan,” according to a UnitedHealthcare news release.