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"We are delighted to make this contribution to N.C. Prevention Partners tofund a program that will empower N.C. DOT employees to embrace healthierliving," said Michael Draine, National Sales Director for Managed Markets atAstraZeneca. "This program is exemplary of AstraZeneca's commitment to helpingcommunities across the nation -- and worldwide -- promote health and healthybehaviors."
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The new program, called the N.C. Department of Transportation WellnessInitiative, will allow the State Health Plan and its partners to measure theeffect of a comprehensive worksite wellness program on lifestyle and healthbehaviors of its members and on employment-related outcomes. N.C. PreventionPartners, a statewide non-profit organization, will administer the funds andprovide program oversight.
Seventy percent of the State Health Plan's medical and pharmacy claimscosts are attributed to mostly preventable diseases related to poor nutrition,obesity, lack of exercise, tobacco use and unmanaged stress. The new WellnessInitiative is intended to counter these behaviors through education andinterventions with participating DOT employees.
"We are pleased to be a part of this project that I believe will make apositive and meaningful impact on employees' health outcomes," said George C.Stokes, executive administrator of the State Health Plan. "We look forward tohelping the N.C. DOT build a culture of wellness and foster a healthier, moreproductive workforce."
For nearly a decade, AstraZeneca has supported services in North Carolinaintended to improve health and patient care. Beginning with the CarolinaCommunity Care program in 1998, AstraZeneca has helped North Carolinaresidents with prescription savings programs, health management tools andother initiatives to support better health outcomes. In addition to its workin North Carolina, AstraZeneca supports health and wellness initiativesnationwide.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in theresearch, development, manufacture and marketing of prescriptionpharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of theworld's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular,neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca islisted in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4GoodIndex.
In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $12.44 billion healthcare businesswith more than 12,000 employees. For nearly three decades, AstraZeneca hasoffered drug assistance programs side by side with its medicines, and over thepast five years, has provided over $3 billion in savings to more than 1million patients throughout the US and Puerto Rico. AstraZeneca has been namedone of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" by Working Mother magazineand is the only large pharmaceutical company named to FORTUNE magazine's 2007list of "100 Best Companies to Work For." In 2006, for the fifth consecutiveyear, Science magazine named AstraZeneca a "Top Employer" on its ranking ofthe world's most respected biopharmaceutical employers.For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit:www.astrazeneca-us.com Media Contact: Christa Peisinger AstraZeneca 302-886-1013
SOURCE AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals L.P.
