2012
Annual Report to the Community
and Report on Philanthropy
2012
Annual Report to the Community
and Report on Philanthropy
When University Hospitals legal assistant Violet Truxal wanted to improve her health, UH was ready to help her succeed.
In September 2012, the health system launched UH OptiWeight™, a 12-week weight-management program for employees, led by board-certified dietitians. In less than six months, Ms. Truxal lost more than 70 pounds by eating better and exercising. Her blood pressure and cholesterol levels reached normal levels, and she feels great.
“OptiWeight taught me about nutrition, and I learned to put my health and wellness first,” Ms. Truxal, 65, says.
Active outreach to help patients achieve positive lifestyle improvements is one fundamental goal of the UH Accountable Care Organization. The idea: Healthier patients need less health care – a great way to help contain health care cost inflation.
The UH OptiWeight program rollout proved to be a rousing success: By year’s end, more than 100 UH employees and physicians participated in OptiWeight, losing a combined 575 pounds. It has expanded to all UH hospitals and several UH health centers.
UH OptiWeight is just one of many healthy-living initiatives available to those enrolled in the UH ACO, which covers 25,000 UH employees and dependents. To read personal accounts from several employees about their experience with the OptiWeight program, visit the UH OptiWeight blog.
