Worcester Polytechnic Institute
IN-26: Innovation C

Kate McEvoy-Zdonczyck, VP of Emerging Markets at Harvard Pilgrim Insurance, was quoted as saying that WPI, with its Health Herd Program, has provided its staff with the tools to address physical, mental, and financial health, creating an initiative that “raises the bar in wellness offerings” in Central Mass.” The Healthy Herd is an all staff-developed and managed offering that complements the wellness offerings of the Human Resources Department that goes well above and beyond a typical wellness program. The Healthy Herd is a structured program incorporating nutrition, fitness, and healthy living that produced such positive results that Harvard Pilgrim Health Care awarded WPI its Heath Innovator Award. The Healthy Herd provides resources to those who want to attain better physical, emotional, and financial health. Several seminars are held each year on eating, mediation, and parenting, retirement planning, and caring for aging parents. Harvard Pilgrim provides resources and experts to help employees lose weight, reduce cholesterol, decrease anxiety, and manage daily stress. The Herd formed a Ultimate Challenge, a 10-week regimen that uses weight training, cardio workouts, and other aerobic activities, guided by three coaches – a dietician, a personal trainer, and a lifestyle coach.