Tobacco dependence is our nation's #1 preventable health problem. It has considerable impact on balance sheets of corporations and smaller employers, on workplace productivity, and on the health and well-being of employees and their families. Tobacco, especially cigarette smoking, exacts an enormous toll on business and industry in terms of healthcare costs, disability, lost time, fires, insurance, and liability.

In a study of 6 large employers with more than 46,000 employees, The Medstat Group determined that former smokers cost the companies $4.5 million annually in health claims and current smokers cost $2 million (Anderson, 2000).

The Centers for Disease Control has reported the nationwide smoking-attributable productivity costs during the period 1995 to 1999 at more than $81 billion annually (CDC, 2002).

To help you keep your profits from going up in smoke, I can assist your company by:

• offering smoking cessation workshops to employees,
• help you structure internal support-groups for those employees trying to quit (groups can increase chance of successful cessation by 50%), and
• offering addiction prevention services to include employees at risk for alcoholism.

Anderson DR, Whitmer RW, Goetzel, RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, Wasserman J, Serxner, S. The relationship between modifable heath risks and group-level healthcare expenditures. Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Research Committee. Am J Health Promotions 2000;15(1):45-52.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs - United States, 1995-1999. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. 2002;51(14):300-3. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a2.htm.