Sept 12, 2011

West Palm Beach , FL -Gannon Adresses National Health Conference

Anne M. Gannon, Constitutional Tax Collector, was tapped as a presenter for the Care Continuum Alliance’s annual meeting in San Francisco on September 7 - 9.  The Alliance’s Forum 11 event showcases collaborations between employers and health program providers across the US.  The event is a respected forum on innovative solutions for wellness and chronic care.  Gannon presented her agency’s program “Journey to Good Health”, a wellness initiative.   The Forum 11 is organized in partnership with the Care Continuum Alliance and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

Gannon, a proponent of healthy living practices at work and home, presented her agency’s wellness initiative.   Her motivation for developing an innovative risk reduction program was not only to drive down the health risks of her 290 employees but also to combat escalating health insurance premiums.  “Rising health insurance premiums are alarming to businesses of all sizes.  That’s why they want to engage in strategies to combat escalating premiums.  Companies want to control health benefit costs to protect their bottom line,” said Gannon. 

Gannon had previously implemented a non-smoking policy in her agency.  She was the first in Palm Beach County to take this bold step.  While a step forward, she felt that it was too narrow of a focus.  She wanted to offer a program that could reduce health risks for all employees and have an impact on driving health costs down.  “I believe that government agencies need to step up and do our part to hold the line on costs,” said Gannon.

Gannon explains the premise of the program, “I believe that each of us is responsible for our choices.  We want to create a culture that fosters healthy choices, education and common sense incentives.”  Gannon hopes her presentation will inspire others to adopt health risk-reduction programs. 
For more information go to www.carecontinuum.org.