Today, Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation (AHSC) will become the first Regional Health Authority in Canada to launch a unique employee wellness tool. It's an extension of the regional health authority's ongoing commitment to wellness and healthy lifestyles, this time encouraging its physicians and staff to focus on wellness.

"Employee wellness is one of the strategic directions of Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation" says Dora Nicinski, AHSC's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Nearly 89 per cent of all deaths in Canada are attributed to chronic diseases, according to the World Health Organization, and diabetes is costing the Canadian healthcare system more than $13 billion annually. We believe that something as simple as monitoring activity levels could motivate more of our employees to change those numbers. For instance, the Beat the Boss Challenge is designed to raise awareness of the impact that lifestyle changes can have on your health."

AHSC's employee wellness tool, developed by Saint John-based AnyWare Group, will be launched at the regional health authority's sixth Feeling Good Wellness Expo. Staff and physicians will be able to log their daily activity and earn points for time spent. The results will pave the way for ongoing corporate challenges such as Beat the Boss (employees raise their activity level to earn more points than the CEO).

After the expo, the tool will be accessible to employees through AHSC's secure Web portal, encouraging them to track their activity level on an ongoing basis. The ultimate goal is to increase employees' health awareness and encourage lifestyle changes.

The Feeling Good Wellness Expo will feature more than two dozen booths showcasing a range of health-related issues - from cholesterol monitoring and nutrition to belly dancing, smoking cessation, retirement planning and much more. The expo will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Atlantic Time).

Jill Barton McPhee, AHSC's administrative director, and an AnyWare Group spokesperson are available for interviews to discuss the regional health authority initiative and the many ways healthy, productive workforces contribute to healthy communities.

About AnyWare Group

AnyWare Group is the leading remote access solution provider for hospitals and healthcare organizations. AnyWare Group's award-winning ROAM Platform enables clientless remote access to all applications from any device (PCs and Macs) without requiring the management of users' computers. Through the ROAM portal, organizations present all relevant applications to authorized users, when and where required. More information is available at www.AnyWareGroup.com.

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