April 14, 2021, Atlanta, Ga. – Local Governments have just encountered an unprecedented challenge in how to spend Covid stimulus funds in the short term in a way that does not make things worse in long term. The State Policy Network published a March 17 article in which they laid out several ways that states could make the most out of the Stimulus package: [FIVE WAYS STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN PUT THE LATEST COVID-19 STIMULUS PACKAGE TO GOOD USE]
There are several key highlights that stand out from the article that clarifies how difficult the decision making proces will be for municipalities: The latest COVID-19 stimulus package, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), allocated $350 billion to state and local governments, and laid out an imprecise framework of constraints on how this mountain of federal cash can be used. Local government officials will soon face an unprecedented task of determining how to spend these funds in ways that won’t undermine the long-term financial health of their communities or add to taxpayers’ burdens in the future.
“A HUGE win for cities and counties is that they will be able to use these funds in such a way that it helps SECURE long-term financial health. Employee health is a HUGE determinant of the government finances.
Wouldn’t it be wise to provide a means of helping ALL employees adopt healthier lifestyles that will prevent/minimize the need for so much healthcare rather than only providing temporary funds for employees to pay for poor lifestyle habits?”
— JACK CURTIS, CEO CHP
How Can The Funds Be Spent?
- Pandemic Response: Costs incurred to respond to the pandemic emergency or its negative economic impacts, including assistance to households, small businesses, nonprofits, and impacted industries (tourism, travel, hospitality).
- Healthcare: Reason Foundation points to the option of pre-funding government employee retirement health plans and transitioning them to health savings accounts. This solution would increase the likelihood of retirees having reliable healthcare coverage when they need it, and it would give them control and portability over their healthcare dollars.
These funds may be used to create a 3-year investment plan to build a healthier workforce, along their families. If local governments invested in wellnes programs like CHP’s Prima wellness solution, the program could easily be paying for itself in direct savings by the time the funds are spent.
It will also be providing indirect savings through reduced sick days, LTD, STD, presenteeism, and turnover, as the wellnes program builds a happier, healthier, more engaged and more productive workforce!
Investing in CHP’s Prima Wellness Fits the Criteria for Healthcare and Pandemic:
- Employees with chronic disease are more likely to get Covid, and when they do, they are more likely to have serious consequences.
- Vaccines don’t provide 100% immunity, many are not vaccinated (and won’t get vaccinated), and variants are rampant – so the pandemic is not going away anytime soon.
- The pandemic has increased the risk of physical and mental illness, as stress, obesity, blood pressure, etc. have increased during the pandemic.
- Effective wellness programs like our Prima program help with stress, boost immunity, and fight chronic disease – so it helps in the short term and the long term!
About Corporate Health Partners Corporate Health Partners is a privately held corporation, headquartered in Atlanta, GA. It has gained national recognition for its “Coaching First” approach to behavioral change with programs engineered to fit each unique organizational culture and employees. CHP’s evidence-based approach generates participation and engagement results far exceeding industry standards (more than 85% employees express satisfaction with CHP vs. the industry average of just 24%). Our work transforms organizations fostering happier, healthier employees who support one another, increase productivity, and demonstrate higher company loyalty.