Illinois e-News Release
September 27, 2022
CONTACT: Cathy Kwiatkowski, CMS
State of Illinois Earns Platinum Level 2022 Aetna Workplace Well-being Award
Award recognizes the State’s ongoing commitment to providing workplace wellness resources, programs, and support for employees
The Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) has earned the 2022 “Leading the Way” Aetna Workplace Wellness Award. The Platinum level, the award’s highest honor, is awarded to employers who successfully create, provide, and support a healthier workplace for employees with effective programming, tools, and resources to help everyone on their personal well-being journey.
“Prioritizing the health and wellness of employees and retirees of the State of Illinois are fundamental to our operations,” said CMS Acting Director Anthony Pascente. “CMS is proud to be recognized for our commitment to improving their physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.”
CMS oversees a sophisticated and broad healthcare administration and management portfolio, averaging approximately $5 billion in annual spend, covering nearly 450,000 lives. In collaboration with key stakeholders across the State of Illinois, CMS was able to improve operational efficiency and member experience, implement changes to existing programs which substantially reduced costs, and enhance member education about the resources available to them.
“The State of Illinois has enthusiastically and passionately embraced wellness, which has resulted in increased engagement in health care initiatives and a positive impact on the health of employees and retirees,” said Jim Boyman, President, West Mid-America Market, Aetna. “From the Fall Into Fitness virtual 5k/10k to the Colorectal Cancer Detection campaign and much more, employees and retirees have made the choice to be well. Congratulations on this well-deserved award.”
CMS was recognized for the development and implementation of a number of critical programs and initiatives:
- The State of Illinois’ Wellness program, Be Well Illinois, which focuses on education and prevention of health conditions, using key data to identify opportunities to develop and educate through various programs to encourage wellness. The program includes targeted initiatives such as motivational emails, articles, wellness webinars and resources to participants to support their overall health and wellness goals. Be Well Illinois launched several innovative programs including:
- “Director’s Challenge” program which delivers motivational content to participants weekly;
- Men’s Health Month “In Your Neighborhood” program, featuring world-renowned boxer Sugar Ray Leonard;
- Health Wellness and Equity Virtual Webinar Series, including: Exploring Disparities in Black Heart Health, Minority Health Month and Social Determinants of Health.
- Illinois’ annual “Fall Into Fitness” virtual 5k/10k totaling nearly 3,000 participants across more than 30 agencies, universities and retirement systems completing their selected challenge and taking more than 60 million steps.
- Colorectal Cancer Detection campaign, a non-invasive way to screen for colorectal cancer for eligible health plan participants. Detection kits were mailed directly to more than 25,000 eligible members, resulting in $154.9 million in cost avoidance across the pilot program alone.
About CMS:
Central Management Services (CMS) is the operational engine working behind the scenes to enable the State’s more than 80 agencies, boards, and commissions to deliver efficient, reliable services to all Illinois citizens. The Agency’s mission is to support the State by delivering innovative, responsive, and effective services that provide the best value for Illinois State government and the people it serves.
The CMS Bureau of Benefits oversees the provision and administration of group health benefits for approximately 295,000 members and almost 450,000 covered lives, in four different insurance programs.
The Bureau also oversees the administration of basic and optional life insurance, dental and vision insurance, the Medical Care Assistance Program (MCAP), Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP), Commuter Savings Program (CSP) and the newly implemented Health Savings Account (HSA), as well as several other programs for employees and retirees.
About Be Well Illinois:
Be Well Illinois was launched in January 2021 by the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) to improve the overall health and wellness of the State of Illinois’ workforce. Be Well Illinois uses a comprehensive approach to wellness and incorporates educational resources and activities designed to improve physical, financial, and mental health and raise awareness about the benefits of healthy eating, exercise and cultural topics.
Each month, the program sponsors targeted events and provides new articles, wellness webinars and resources on the
Be Well Illinois website, Facebook page and via direct email communications to participants to support their overall health and wellness goals.
About Aetna:
Aetna, a CVS Health business, serves an estimated 34 million people with information and resources to help them make better-informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental and behavioral health plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health care management services, workers' compensation administrative services and health information technology products and services. Aetna's customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, visit www.aetna.com and explore how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world.
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