In an ever-evolving, increasingly complex health care environment, business owners have a tough challenge when it comes to medical insurance and employee wellness programs. These complexities make it difficult to offer attractive plans — let alone build an impactful employee wellness program.

So the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce (NCCCC) and STAR Health at the University of Delaware put together a pilot program for employers — ChamberStar. It is an employee wellness program that offers effective, affordable wellness to chamber members. The goal is to help employees be well instead getting well.

“The chamber is a great example of an organization proactively working to drive down its health care costs for its members by improving employee wellness through partnership,” said Michael Smith, director of strategic initiatives and partnerships for the College of Health Sciences (CHS). “The program is designed to offer the small business owner an affordable wellness program that is convenient, comprehensive and supports a healthy lifestyle — all while targeting chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.”

The pilot program began in November and will run for the next seven months. STAR Health will offer chamber members a wide variety of services, including nutrition counseling, fitness testing, exercise counseling, comprehensive health assessments and health coaching. At the conclusion of the pilot, participating companies will receive a lifestyle report card measuring the benefit of continuous wellness activities over time.

“ChamberStar is a win-win for the participating companies, the employees, the chamber and the University,” said NCCCC President Mark Kleinschmidt. “Participants will find the program not only educational, but also an effective way to become more fit and adopt healthy habits.”

Workplace wellness programs have become more common in the last three to five years for large companies. Many small businesses want to offer an employee wellness program, but they do not have the resources to do it. ChamberStar will give businesses the tools to address the costs through continuous engagement, world-class research, top-notch education and comprehensive care.

“Wellness programs are tough for small to mid-sized companies to plan and execute due to budget and expertise,” said Tim Boulden of Boulden Brothers. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to partner with the chamber and STAR Health.”