Lafourche school board staffers lighten up for health

More than 600 Lafourche Parish School Board employees are vying for the ultimate prize n healthier living n as the second phase of the school board’s wellness plan nears completion.

On April 2, the employees started a Weight Buster’s competition, where 131 teams comprised of five set out to shed inches and pounds any way they could. Each team member is responsible for his own work out plan.

“When you think about losing weight, the first thought is to go to the gym and get a personal trainer or join one of those fitness classes,” said Don Gaudet, school board business manager. “That’s good, but everyone doesn’t have that kind of time. People have to do other things to lose weight, and all of the participants are doing the fitness plan that suits them.”

School board spokesman Floyd Benoit is keeping a tabulation of teams’ progress. He said the fitness program is going as well as to be expected. The last weigh-in is May 21.

The “Bahama Mamas,” workers from the school board’s media center, have been leading the pack since the beginning of the competition. Headed by team captain Sarah Plaisance, the ladies have really changed their eating habits and exercise routine for this competition.

“We all want to lose the weight and go on a cruise so that we can wear our bikinis,” joked Pam Folse, one of the team members.

“We are talking this weight loss competition seriously. We are on the Weight Watcher’s diet and every day we all eat together at the media center. We increase the number of times we exercise and walk during the week. And, on the weekends we try to eat healthy as well,” she said.

Folse said the experience has been fun and rewarding. The ladies agree that they want to continue losing weight after the competition is over.

At the end of the 2004-05 school year, the Lafourche board met to review employee health issues. As a result, the board amended its health care plan to provide for medical procedures and checkups for staffers to review health problems, according to Beryl Rivet, the school board’s insurance specialist.

Phase I of the wellness plan was completed nearly a year ago when the school board hired Sterling Wellness Solution to compose health profiles that targeted employees’ health concerns.

“Not all of the school employees wanted to participate in the program, but for those that took a shot at it, Sterling Wellness gave them surveys to fill out that disclosed their medical history and their family’s medical history,” Gaudet said.

“Our medical technicians went out to various school sites in the parish and gave health screenings for all the participants. The health screening gave them a general idea of where the employees need improvements,” Sterling Wellness Solutions President Claire Kelbaugh said.

At that start of the program, 79 percent of the employees were overweight, 76 percent needed to improve their nutrition levels, and 69 percent needed to improve their fitness level, she said.

“Since then, the employees have made some improvements in their weight, nutrition levels and fitness level,” Kelbaugh said.

The official school improvement percentages will be released in coming weeks.

Also, in the wake of designating all schools smoke-free zones, the school board is giving its employees who smoked an opportunity to quit via smoke cessations medications and/or therapy.

“In the wellness survey, we identified that 14 percent of the school board employees were smokers,” Kelbaugh said.

“The board pays the cost of the doctor’s visit and a follow-up visit in connection with the prescribing of smoking cessation medication or laser therapy. Employees can visit any of the school insurance network providers for the prescribed smoke cessations medications,” Rivet said. “However, Laser Solutions of Houma is the specified provider for the laser treatment.”

One of Laser Solution’s technicians said the therapy is designed to stimulate the central nervous system and the body’s production of its own natural chemicals. The targeted chemicals are endorphins, norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine.

“These chemicals have been shown to significantly reduce the pain and discomfort associated with physical withdrawal symptoms from nicotine,” said certified laser technician Kim Legendre.

Studies have shown that there are no known adverse side effects to low-level laser therapy. Reports also show a 75 percent effective rate with one session, Legendre said.

The technician said a second session is recommended within 48-72 hours after the initial session to further increase the success rate.

Each smoker’s daily routines are analyzed to help technicians develop a plan to control the non-physical aspects of the habit. Legendre said this is an additional method to help the effectiveness of the therapy.

“No two persons’ smoking habitat is identical. Long-term success requires the active participation and commitment of the individual in dealing with environmental and psychological factors. We want to them to be aware of the outside things that cause them to smoke,” Legendre said.

Because of patient/doctor confidentiality Laser Solutions couldn’t disclose how many school board employees have taken advantage of the plan. However, Kelbaugh said nine staffers reported recently having quit smoking.