The Tribune

Atlantic Medical Insurance, the largest specialist provider of group health insurance in the Bahamas, has been placing heavy emphasis on wellness for over the past three years, with a dedicated wellness programme offered free to persons insured by the company.

A premier element of this programme is its annual fun walk, which this year will take place on Saturday, April 29.

As the programme moves full speed ahead, Atlantic Medical aims to find newer ways to enhance the programme for its clients and the wider community.

In January, the company hosted a free wellness symposium featuring Dr Deepak Chopra, a globally recognised advocate of alternative medicine. The event left a positive impression on the guests, allowing them to become more aware of how they can have a healthy more energetic body, a reflective and alert mind, among other benefits.

Atlantic Medical’s Executive Vice President and General Manager Lynda Gibson explained that it’s the company’s commitment to help educate the clients on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle to aid in preventing serious illnesses and catastrophic diseases.

Atlantic also emphasises that a dedication to wellness strategies can help to reduce the financial toll ill health can take on individuals, families and their resources. Mrs Gibson encouraged other companies and organisations to join in the push for wellness.

“We tell employers all the time—with educated employees who know about looking after themselves, they will see it in the claims experience – lower claims experience, lower rates. Everyone keeps talking about the cost of healthcare escalating. It’s mainly because there are so many people who wait until they get sick to learn about what’s going on with their bodies,” said Mrs Gibson.

She explained that this is particularly true of chronic, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer, which Ministry of Health statistics indicate are prevalent in the Bahamas. She said that chronic non-communicable diseases can most often be avoided by the adoption of healthy lifestyles.

Under Mrs Gibson’s leadership, Atlantic made the wellness programme a part of the clients’ medical package. She explained its importance:

“Wellness is a programme that we have introduced to our clients over the years, along with disease management. We find ways as to how we can educate our clients on taking care of their bodies to prevent themselves from getting serious illnesses, catastrophic diseases.”

Atlantic Medical wellness coordinator Donovan Ingraham said that once persons are insured with the company, they are eligible for the programme.

“Our wellness programme goes from quarter to quarter and there are incentives involved with it. (The) great part about it is that it’s continuous. Most insurance companies have some makeshift wellness programs in place, but our programme is ongoing.” he said. “As a company, we believe in giving back to the community. We want to be a corporate citizen that actually gives back to the community.”

Mrs Gibson also spoke about other Atlantic Medical initiatives.

“Through our fun walk, we support cancer, we support diabetes; the latter initiative is another effort in educating the Bahamian public in how to take care of their bodies,” she said.

“Don’t wait until you get sick to take care of your body. Prevention is better than cure. So many people wait until they get sick to learn about what’s going on with their body. We’re trying to reverse it, we’re trying to say, learn about your body so you won’t end up with the catastrophic illness.”