The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota Selects ShapeUp to Unite Employers in Healthy Competition
Minneapolis, MN and Providence, RI – January 23, 2012 – The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota today announced that it has selected ShapeUp, the global provider of clinically-proven, social networking-based employee wellness solutions, to power its statewide 2012 BizicallyFIT Health Challenge. The challenge, which starts on February 13, will engage employees of Alliance member companies, along with anyone who lives or works in Minnesota, in a friendly, team-based competition that is clinically proven to help participants lose weight and exercise more frequently.
“ShapeUp’s best-in-class social gaming platform is enabling us to easily host a statewide wellness initiative for Minnesota's largest employers while still maintaining the personalized peer-to-peer challenges, motivation, and accountability that are critical to success,” said Tom Mason, president of the Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota. “We're excited to work with ShapeUp, our members, and community organizations on the BizicallyFIT Challenge to create a healthier Minnesota.”
Member companies of The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota include BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota, Cargill, Medica, Midwest Dairy Council, Target, and the Minnesota Department of Health. Starting on February 13, employees of these companies will compete to lose the most weight, walk the most steps, and exercise the most minutes in the 12-week BizicallyFIT Challenge.
ShapeUp will power the technology for the Challenge through its online social gaming platform, which allows participants to set healthy goals, track personal progress, and receive encouragement from their social networks. The platform will also encourage participants to join healthy activities organized by their friends while simultaneously participating in the core BizicallyFIT Challenge exercise and weight loss curriculum.
“We’re excited that The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota has selected our evidence-based platform to power this important public health initiative for the state of Minnesota,” said Dr. Rajiv Kumar, founder and chief medical officer of ShapeUp. “ShapeUp shares the Alliance’s belief that family, friends, and colleagues have the greatest influence on an individual’s health, as they provide the motivation necessary for sustainable behavior change.”
According to the recently released ShapeUp Employer Wellness Survey, employee participation is the number-one priority for large employers that offer employee wellness programs. ShapeUp’s platform addresses this primary objective by generating high participation through peer-to-peer invitations and social networking features that make wellness fun and bring people together to pursue healthy goals.
“Our member companies are committed to achieving sustained employee engagement in wellness programs. In doing so, they improve the health of their workforces, reduce healthcare costs, and support a healthy company culture,” said Tom Mason, president at The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota. “By making this Challenge available to all Minnesotans, these large employers are transforming the health of our community.”
About The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota
Members of The Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota are united in the common belief that when we work together and provide the right tools for prevention, we can help Minnesotans live longer, healthier lives. Collectively, members of the Alliance employ more than 100,000 Minnesotans – and hundreds of thousands more globally. The group believes employers can drive true healthcare reform through health and wellness campaigns, and in working together for the common good. The Alliance believes healthier communities will make for healthier people, healthier corporations and healthier economies.
About ShapeUp
ShapeUp is the leading global provider of clinically-proven, social networking-based employee wellness programs. Founded in 2006 by two medical doctors, ShapeUp has pioneered an innovative approach to behavior change that uses social networking technology to reduce healthcare costs and improve the health of large populations. ShapeUp’s evidence-based, clinically-proven social wellness platform covers more than two million lives and is used by more than 200 employers and health plans. For more information, visit www.shapeup.com and follow us on Twitter. ShapeUp’s Annual Employer Wellness Survey can be found at http://web.shapeup.com/survey.