The Chamber's Corporate Wellness Task Force is taking a long, hard look at replicating Iowa's statewide fitness initiative. Hoping for similar success, the group will bring local organizations together Oct. 12 to discuss a Chamber wellness program.

New data on wellness programs suggest that healthy employees help employers gain a competitive edge. Countless reports indicate that improving the health of employees improves productivity and shrinks employer healthcare costs, strengthening the employer's bottom line.

The Chamber Corporate Wellness Task Force, part of the larger Healthcare Advisory Council, is determined to increase awareness of gains realized by investing in employee wellness, and to ensure that local employers have every opportunity to invest in employee health.

The Lighten Up Iowa program began as a small, team-based program to encourage employer groups to compete against one another in cardiovascular activity and weight loss. Since its inception in 2002, nearly 75,000 Iowans have lost more than 305,000 pounds and logged more than 14,000,000 miles of activity. No local program has come close to achieving those rates of success.

Heading the Oct. 12 discussion is Corporate Wellness Task Force Chair Wally Gomaa, senior vice president of Holmes Murphy. They hope to follow in Iowa's footsteps by embracing community collaboration and rallying local employers in the fight against obesity.

To learn more about the Lighten Up Iowa/America initiative, visit www.lightenupamerica.org.

For more information on Chamber healthcare initiatives, contact Jennifer Stetter, (214) 746-6623 or JStetter@dallaschamber.org