Mike McCallister and Bill Clinton watch the action at the 2012 Humana Challenge.

The 2012 Humana Challenge, in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, was named “Sports Event of the Year” at the fifth-annual Sports Business Awards in New York on Wednesday, May 23.

“Winning “Sports Event of the Year” is an unbelievable honor for the Humana Challenge,” said Mike McCallister, Humana Chairman and CEO. “It really speaks to the commitment of our partners and the Coachella Valley community in making this event successful. We were also proud that spectators, fans and viewers rallied around our dream of helping people achieve lifelong well-being that we and the Clinton Foundation worked to emphasize throughout the tournament. We’re humbled by the success of the event and will continue to instill healthy activities throughout the years to come.”

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A recent study from Humana and Reader’s Digest has found a number of interesting differences in how America’s generations view their health and well-being. In fact, 64 percent of older Americans (age 65 and older) say having “good health” is most important to them, even more than a close knit family or financial security – while 69 percent of younger Americans (age 64 and younger) say having a close-knit family is most important to them.

The nationwide survey of 1,000 people examined health behaviors and opinions across age groups in America and found a number of other key differences. For example, 40 percent of older adults equate “good health” with being happy, while 46 percent of young Americans define “good health” as being in better shape.

The infographic above highlights the differences in how younger and older people think about their health. We believe these findings illustrate the importance of finding new ways to help motivate people to make healthy choices based on what is most important to them.  This is why we have launched innovative, personalized well-being programs like HumanaVitality for our members.

Other key findings from the study include:

• 42 percent of seniors, compared to 29 percent of Americans overall, engage in no physical activity that raises their heart rate over the course of a week
• Americans are sedentary for slightly more than 7 hours a day – more time than is typically spent sleeping.
• One in 10 Americans have four or more meals from a fast food restaurant over the course of each week.
• Working moms are more likely (58 percent) to participate in regular daily physical activities (e.g. taking walks, using stairs, going to a gym) than working dads (37 percent).

More information from this survey will be published in upcoming issues of Reader’s Digest.

Marcia Guida James, Director of Network Relations and Provider Engagement at Humana, testifies at the U.S. Senate hearing.

Humana was one of a select few “private sector innovators” on Capitol Hill offering expert testimony at a hearing focused on reforming the health-care delivery system. (more…)

Susanne Haehlen, winner of the Humana “Build a Family Legacy” sweepstakes

Are you someone who’s never won anything in your life?

So was Susanne Haehlen, a retired art teacher living in Marion, Iowa. That is until she entered the Humana “Build a Family Legacy” sweepstakes. Through this initiative, Humana invited families across America to enter a sweepstakes to win a unique prize – a custom-designed multi-generational playground constructed near their hometown.

When DeDe Eschen, Susanne’s daughter, first heard about the Humana sweepstakes, she was immediately motivated to get her family to enter. In fact, for three years she and the nearby community of Alburnett had been raising money for a new playground in their sports complex, but with a number of other priorities, including constructing a softball field and running track, the playground was a distant dream.

That is until her mother, Susanne, won the “Build a Family Legacy” sweepstakes.

To make this dream come true, Humana, KaBOOM!,the Alburnett Community School District Foundation and volunteers joined forces Saturday, May 12, to build a one-of-a-kind playground in the Alburnett Martin Sports Complex. The customized playground was built in six hours and features senior-focused and adult elements, such as fitness stations and walking paths – as well as more traditional, kid-friendly equipment.

In addition, Susanne and her family won a professionally catered reunion at the multi-generational playground following its construction, truly epitomizing the goal of building a family legacy. Just ask DeDe, who proudly said, “This is only the beginning of what is yet to come for Alburnett.”

Humana believes in the power of personal relationships and that enjoying life to the fullest at any stage should be a reality for all. Through its ongoing partnership with KaBOOM!, the company continues to foster strong communities by creating playgrounds for all generations to stay healthy and active.

Participants enjoy a Zumba class at the Orlando Guidance Center.

Humana’s Guidance Centers* provide opportunities for people to live healthier, happier lives. In addition to offering free classes that help improve mental and physical health, the centers create a sense of community through the development of close friendships and shared interests.

As part of Humana’s ongoing efforts to enhance people’s overall well-being, a walking program was added at most of the 19 centers that are spread throughout the country. Participants are motivated to become more active by using pedometers to track their progress and to walk as a group in local parks. The program, which was started in November 2011, has already had a positive impact for hundreds of participants. Since the program launched, more than 900 participants have logged more than 35,000 miles, lost weight, gained strength and agility – and created new friendships. In this video, residents of Zephyrhills and Orlando, Florida, explain how the program has improved their health and well-being.

The walking program is only the latest success at the Guidance Centers. Participants in other exercise programs also report increased mobility and energy and a sense of revitalization. But equally important, many of the program participants say, is a renewed sense of purpose and belonging.

In the video below, Humana Medicare Advantage members tell us how the activities, learning opportunities and friendships have made a difference in their lives.

* The Guidance Center classes and activities vary by location, and some are offered only to Humana members. Please check with your local Guidance Center to verify the availability of activities and classes. 

The childen who helped design the playground in Sanford, Florida, spend time playing together almost every day.

Laughter and the joyful sounds of children at play have replaced the silence of empty lots and open fields in communities throughout the country. Multigenerational playgrounds, built through a partnership between Humana and the nonprofit organization KaBOOM!, now fill those empty spaces, offering opportunities for families to gather, reconnect and enjoy a healthier, more active lifestyle.

In the past several months, hundreds of volunteers in communities from California to New Orleans to Florida worked alongside Humana associates and KaBOOM! to build playgrounds that were designed by the children and families who would be using them to create lasting memories – and healthier lives.

Each playground has senior and adult-focused elements, such as fitness stations to promote good posture, balance and flexibility, as well as traditional kid-friendly equipment. But each also has elements unique to each community.

Perhaps the best way to demonstrate the positive changes sparked by the playgrounds is to hear directly from those who have been affected the most. In this video, the residents of the desert community of Thermal, Calif., who named their playground Mirage, explain what it means to them and how it helps build hope for healthier, happier days ahead.

And in Sanford, Fla., Midway Safe Harbor Community Center, which, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club, provides after-school programming, a foster grandparent program, health and nutrition education and a “kids’ café” to more than 150 children, has a new way to actively demonstrate the benefits of an active lifestyle. Dorothy Jackson, who volunteers at the center and enjoys time on the playground with her great-grandchildren, Brenda Knight, administrator of the center, and the children who helped design their playground share their story in the video below.

Humana associates use the B-Cycle bike sharing program in downtown Louisville.

Humana has released its 2010-2011 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. It is the first such publication among major U.S. health insurers to use Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, the world’s most recognized standards for environmental, social and governance reporting.

The report focuses on Humana’s CSR platform – Healthy People, Healthy Planet, Healthy Performance – and introduces the company’s energy-saving targets for 2012. The report also illuminates a range of specific ways Humana is helping people achieve lifelong well-being, including an innovative well-being pilot program in Kentucky and Humana’s partnership with Walmart to make prescription drugs more affordable for Medicare beneficiaries.

“This report marks an important milestone in our CSR journey,” said Humana Chairman and CEO Mike McCallister. “Through this report, we share our efforts and aspirations to further integrate CSR into our business strategy and operations across the U.S.”

The “Well-Being Starts with Us: 2010 & 2011 CSR Report” highlights that Humana:

• Pledges to reduce building energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and annual energy expenses by 10 percent each, over the course of 2012 (from a 2009 baseline)
• Obtained ENERGY STAR® certification for its Louisville headquarters building, the Humana Building
• Intends to hire 1,000 military veterans and/or their spouses for roles across the company
• Has created four Network Resource Groups for African-American; Hispanic; caregivers; and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender associates
• Vastly improved its standing in the 2011 Newsweek Green Index, ranking No. 72 in 2011 – up from No. 317 in 2010
• Doubled its score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2012 Corporate Equality Index, to 90 of 100 from a score of 45 in 2010

View the full 2010 & 2011 CSR report.

View a condensed version of the report.

Pictured from left to right: Jan Hawkins, Director of Development, Boys and Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley; Jim Ducatte, CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley; Virginia Kelly Judd, Executive Director of The Humana Foundation; Mike McCallister, Chairman and CEO of Humana; Terri Bona, Director of Development, Family YMCA of the Desert; Quinton Egson, Chief Professional Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley; Kristy Franklin, board member, Boys & Girls Clubs of Coachella Valley; City of LaQuinta council person

With the PGA TOUR season in full swing, the Humana Challenge golf tournament continues to make a big impact on the Coachella Valley in California, the location of the January tournament.

On Friday, April 20, Desert Classic Charities (DCC) and Humana hosted a charitable funds distribution-day event. During the program, 40 Coachella Valley not-for-profit organizations were awarded more than $2 million in charitable donations in categories like structured programs for children; rehab, social and support services; and food and shelter for the hungry, the homeless and the abused.

Mike McCallister, Chairman and CEO of Humana, and Virginia Kelly Judd, Executive Director of The Humana Foundation, presented Humana’s individual donation as a result of its Walkit program, in which Humana pledged donations for distances walked. During the tournament week, more than 12,000 pedometers were distributed to fans, players and the general public, with walkers accumulating 84 million steps. This strong showing of support resulted in a $500,000 commitment from The Humana Foundation to benefit the local community.

“Humana and its partners are committed to continuing the longstanding tradition of philanthropy surrounding the tournament,” McCallister said. “We are proud that, with the help of the local community, Humana and The Humana Foundation can contribute even more to the Coachella Valley, which has been an excellent host and a key reason for the tournament’s success.”

Pictured in the foreground, from left, are John Sadtler, regional practice leader for Humana’s Midwest Region, Sebastian Hernandez and Delane Kinney, executive director of the Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers; in the background are some of the children from the centers who will receive toys. Photo credit: Bill Sloan

For three consecutive Wednesdays, more than 600 Humana associates from across the country will take time off from training conferences to build wagons and stuffed animals that will be donated to three Dallas-area children’s charities.

The activities began April 18 when members of Humana’s Midwest region sales team built and donated the toys to the Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers, a nonprofit organization that has worked to improve the lives of at-risk and troubled kids and families in the Dallas area since 1920.

The Dallas-area charities that will benefit from builds at the following two conferences include:

• Wednesday, April 25 – Vogel Alcove, a nonprofit providing free, quality child development services for Dallas’ youngest victims of poverty – homeless children 6 weeks to 5 years old.

• Wednesday, May 2 – Child Abuse Prevention Center, whose mission is to build healthy families and a strong Dallas community by preventing child abuse and neglect.

Along with books brought to the conference by the sales associates, more than 120 wagons and 360 stuffed animals will be donated to children at these three nonprofits combined.

The training seminars in Dallas mark the second year Humana associates have combined a training seminar with a donation event to nonprofits. Last year, Humana associates donated 108 bikes and 432 bears built at “Making Magic” training sessions in Chicago, Orlando and Austin.

The Humana Well-Being Tour, a national mobile health initiative, appeared at the Shell Houston Open for its second appearance of a national seven-month tour on March 29, 2012, in Humble, Texas. The Tour displays a variety of interactive Humana innovations aimed at spreading the message of well-being.

Humana brought its Well-Being Tour, a national mobile health initiative, to the Shell Houston Open on March 29, 2012, in Humble, Texas. The Tour, which debuted at the Humana Challenge PGA TOUR golf tournament in partnership with the William J. Clinton Foundation in January, displays a variety of interactive Humana innovations aimed at spreading the message of well-being and demonstrating fun ways to be healthy. Activities include:

• Walkit: Attendees receive a free pedometer with an RFID tag through the HumanaFit program to track their steps during the event and beyond.
• Humana Biometrics Stations: Participants visit one of four (non-invasive) biometric screening stations to receive personalized health results and ask questions of qualified professionals.
• Xbox Kinect: Fans experience the Humana co-branded Xbox Kinect “Your Shape” game that demonstrates how being healthy can also be fun.
• Photo Station: Visitors share physical feats using green screen technology.
• Well-Being Wall: Participants join in a living collage by sharing personal definitions of well-being.

As with the Humana Challenge, select stops on the Humana Well-Being Tour will include a charitable donation from The Humana Foundation tied to the WalkitSM program. For example, at the Shell Houston Open, Humana gave free pedometers to fans who visited the Well-Being Tour. Tournament attendees were encouraged to track their steps throughout the event, after which The Humana Foundation will donate $1 for every 50 recorded steps, up to $100,000, for local Houston charities.

The Tour will continue across the country for seven months with stops at fairs, festivals and PGA Tour events, on a mission to challenge and inspire people to live life fully.