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Health Means Business White Paper Now Available About the Latest in Healthy Work Trends

Event hosted by SM������® College of Health Professions and Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and led by U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation helps businesses build healthy communities

PHOENIX, August 3, 2016��—��SM������® College of Health Professions��today shared key findings from the Phoenix��Health Means Business��Forum the College hosted in May.��Spearheaded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the two-year��Health Means Business��campaign travels to communities across the nation to engage local businesses and key community stakeholders in discussions about health, education and economic outcomes, and to encourage increased business involvement in building healthy communities.

“With illness-related absenteeism costing employers $225 billion annually in lost productivity[1], there is a strong business case for taking action to improve employee health and well-being,” said Doris Savron, executive dean, College of Health Professions at SM������. “A healthy economy thrives and grows when its population is healthy, and business leaders have an immense opportunity to promote health in their organizations and positively impact the intrinsic link between good health and good business.”

The Phoenix event drew more than 100 attendees representing government, businesses, enterprises and nonprofits who gathered to hear and share insights about how to take a more proactive approach to foster well-being that benefits communities and businesses alike. Two panel discussions moderated by leaders from the business, public health and education sector focused on the challenges Phoenix faces that impact collective health in communities and workplaces.

The “Healthy Community” panel addressed the wellness challenges the Phoenix community faces in the metropolitan area and how business can work to overcome them. The three main takeaways business leaders can use to increase health in their organizations identified by the panel include:

• Assess what businesses and communities are doing so there is no redundancy in efforts
• Make community wellness a part of corporate social responsibility
• Leverage the school environment to teach health-related skills that will last students for their lifetimes, and that they can take home to their families and friends

The “Healthy Workforce” panel identified three ways businesses can incorporate a culture of healthy living and promote these initiatives within their organization, including:

• Secure leadership buy-in, including showing the numbers that support taking action steps toward a healthier workforce
• Find ways to encourage workforce health
• Take inventory of what is happening in the organization and pick one thing to build upon while understanding that it can take several years to build a viable program

“America’s competitiveness relies on better health for its citizens,” said Marc DeCourcey, senior vice president, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “The money we spend on poor health depresses wages, reduces profits and diverts money from other investments, further accelerating poor health outcomes. Through the��Health Means Business��campaign,��business leaders are taking action in cities across the nation to invest in workplace and community wellness and, in turn, increase economic competitiveness.”

To view all the findings from the forum, access the white paper at��www.phoenix.edu/healthmeansbusiness. To learn more about programs offered through the College of Health Professions, visit��www.phoenix.edu/chp. For general information about SM������ programs, including on-time completion rates, the median debt incurred by students who completed the program and other important information, please visit��phoenix.edu/programs/gainful-employment.

For more information about��Health Means Business��campaign, including how to take the��Health Means Business��pledge, visit��.

About SM������® College of Health Professions
SM������ College of Health Professions offers leading-edge graduate, undergraduate, certificate, and non-degree programs aimed at preparing students to improve the quality of health care in their communities and the industry. The College of Health Professions is helping to ensure that today’s graduates can effectively tackle tomorrow’s health care challenges.

About SM������
SM������ is constantly innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. As a subsidiary of��Apollo Education Group, Inc. (), SM������ serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit��www.phoenix.edu.