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DENSO Receives C. Everett Koop National Health Award for Efforts to Promote Workforce Health and Wellbeing

Sep. 16, 2022

Washington, DC, September 15, 2022 – For more than a quarter century, a non-profit known as The Health Project has been awarding annual prizes to organizations with proven health improvement programs through its prestigious C. Everett Koop National Health Award. Today, The Health Project announced DENSO, a leading mobility supplier, as its 2022 award winner.

When it comes to promoting employee health, DENSO takes the concept of “meeting people where they are” literally. In 2017, after a claims analysis indicated that the company’s health promotion strategy could do more to reduce common health risks in its employee population, DENSO launched a new program that integrates health coaching into the regular workflow. Roaming health coaches engage with associates in their normal work environment, which has eliminated barriers to access and increased health coach contact from 16 percent of the population annually to 93 percent. 

Through an innovative mix of small group contact during team meetings and one-on-one coaching onsite where people work, routine contact has helped create a culture of health. With consistent engagement, coaches can develop relationships and adapt to each individual’s needs, interests, and readiness to change. The model has also connected more employees to other program resources. For instance, health coaches often refer, or direct, employees based on their unique individual needs to relevant disease management, onsite health centers, and Employee Assistance Programs. 

Evaluation results indicate that the program has yielded significant health risk reduction across the employee population, with improvements in measures of blood pressure, cholesterol, physical activity, diet, sleep, social support, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption. Along with health risk reductions, the company has realized a decrease in medical cost trends for those who engage, as well as reported improvements in musculoskeletal injury rates and employee satisfaction. 

“We are honored to be recognized with this award,” said Marty Deschenes, President of DENSO’s manufacturing facility in Athens, Tennessee, one of several DENSO plants in the U.S. participating in the program. “This award represents the high level of engagement and effectiveness of our program and the ongoing commitment to the health and wellbeing of all our team members.”

Because of the rigorous standards required for documenting health improvements and cost savings, only 70 organizations have been honored with this prestigious award since The Health Project was established, with the late Dr. C. Everett Koop, the former Surgeon General of the United States, as its honorary chairperson. 

“The C. Everett Koop Award recognizes organizations with comprehensive, evidence-based programs designed to improve health and wellbeing,” said Ron Goetzel, PhD, President and CEO of The Health Project. “The Health Project is honored to add DENSO to its list of award-winning organizations and hopes its exemplary efforts encourage others to think creatively about how to deliver health promotion resources to workers in ways that are easily accessible.” 

In addition to the 2022 award winner, Ericsson and Perdue Farms received honorable mention recognition. The awards will be presented on September 22, 2022 at the annual Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Forum, which is taking place in Amelia Island, FL this year. More information about the C. Everett Koop National Health Award and award-winning health promotion programs is available at http://thehealthproject.com.

About The Health Project
The Health Project, Inc. (The Health Project, "THP"), is a tax-exempt not-for-profit corporation formed to bring about critical attitudinal and behavioral changes in addressing the health and well-being of Americans. THP's mission is to seek out, evaluate, promote and disseminate the lessons learned from exemplary health promotion and disease prevention programs with demonstrated effectiveness in improving employee population health and related business outcomes. The C. Everett Koop National Health Awards are given each year to worksite, community or provider programs that are well-integrated into the organization’s infrastructure and have yielded significant improvement in population health and noteworthy business results.

 

About DENSO  
DENSO is a $45.1 billion global mobility supplier that develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, DENSO invests in its 198 facilities to produce electrification system, powertrain system, thermal system, mobility electronics, & advanced devices, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company’s 167,000+ employees are paving the way to a mobility future that improves lives, eliminates traffic accidents, and preserves the environment. Globally headquartered in Kariya, Japan, DENSO spent 9.0 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022. For more information about global DENSO, visit https://www.denso.com/global/en/
 
In North America, DENSO is headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, and employs 27,000+ engineers, researchers, and skilled workers across 51 sites in the U.S, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs 17,700+ employees across 14 states (and the District of Columbia) and 41 sites. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, DENSO in North America generated $9.5 billion in consolidated sales. DENSO is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion inside the company and beyond – a principle that brings unique perspectives together, bolsters innovation, and pushes DENSO forward. Join us, and craft not only how the world moves, but also your career: densocareers.com. For more information, go to https://www.denso.com/us-ca/en/