"The Wellness Program has been instrumental in getting me where I am."

As an insurance expert, he knew the odds weren’t in his favor – a mid-50s smoker with too many extra pounds and not enough exercise. It was obvious he had habits to break and better choices to make, but it wasn’t until he joined Crane & Co. in 2010 and heard about their wellness program that Timothy Golden turned the page on his health.
 
Two years later at 55, he’s free of tobacco, and 14 pounds lighter and walks two to three miles a day, seven days a week. He also cut his bad cholesterol by nearly half, down to 150.
 
“I feel 100 percent better,” said Tim, who played sports in his younger days and kept generally active, but still had an uphill challenge. “When I first started, I was really huffing and puffing when I walked up those hills, but now I don’t even break a sweat. I actually feel bad unless I get out there and walk. It’s a way for me to get my blood pumping.”
 
Tim is one of thousands of Berkshire area employees whose companies offer wellness programs designed and run by Berkshire Health Systems.  Crane and Co., General Dynamics, Hillcrest Educational Centers, and Berkshire Health Group are among the local businesses working with BHS wellness nurses providing health risk assessments, screenings, coaching and effective support programs to help employees lead healthier lives. It’s a significant benefit of employment and a major boon to individual health and company productivity.
 
“I learned about the program during orientation and got involved in it right away,” said Tim, encouraged to do so by his four daughters, one of whom is a doctor at Brigham and Women’s. He credits his improved vitals and newfound endurance in large part to BHS Wellness at Work Nurse Donna Fairbank, RN.