SVMC Team Loses Weight, Gains $10,000

Porterville, CA l January 17, 2017 – Health and confidence are two things that motivate weight loss, but $10,000 can be an even greater source of motivation. In 2016, Sierra View Medical Center partnered with HealthyWage, a corporate weight loss company, to promote healthier lifestyles for their employees with a team weight loss competition that not only rewards participants with health, but with cash prizes as well.

Finding health to be motivation enough and money simply a bonus, the SVMC Misfits, a team of five at Sierra View, earned the 2016 national title in addition to $10,000 for their success in the HealthyWage $10,000 Team Challenge.

“We kept each other motivated,” said SVMC Misfits’ team member Leonel Ceballos. “I can’t stress enough how much support we got from our little team, but our families and coworkers played a vital role in the weight loss too. Also seeing the pounds come off on the daily weigh-ins and physically seeing the progress really motivated us to want more.”

Sierra View Medical Center previously partnered with HealthyWage in January of 2016 to do a STEP challenge in which 70 employees competed by counting their daily steps using Fitbits. Upon reaching a million or more steps in ten weeks, 46 participants were able to keep their Fibit for meeting the challenge and adding to the hospital’s total of 59,635,733 steps. In June 2016, Sierra View again partnered with HealthyWage to compete in their $10,000 Team Challenge after the success of the STEP challenge. A total of 45 individuals participated in the team challenge and 428lbs were lost overall in 12 weeks.

The SVMC Misfits, comprised of Osvaldo Batres, Elvia Gutierrez, Leonel Ceballos, Robin Hall and John Hall, contributed 172lbs of the 428lbs in total weight lost by the hospital. The Misfits lost 13.88% collectively but gained healthier lifestyles, confidence, motivation, a national title and $10,000. Members of the team represented the Surgery Department, Ambulatory Surgery Department, and Endoscopy Department at Sierra View Medical Center. The five team members came together after they realized they needed to feel a difference in their health.

“I think for most of us on the team, we felt like we had lost all control of our weight and the time had come for us to do something about it,” said Ceballos. “Some of us started for medical reasons and others just wanted to get back into their favorite pair of jeans that no longer fit.”

Sierra View Medical Center first partnered with HealthyWage to bring about an incentive-based wellness program to motivate employees to lead healthier lives just as they motivate their patients to do the same. In a 2008 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association, it was found that those with a financial incentive to lose weight are five times more likely to be successful than those without an incentive. “It’s life changing in many ways, from eating habits to activeness and just feeling good about yourself,” added Ceballos.

Due to the large success and benefits of previous incentive-based wellness programs, SVMC will be starting the Sierra View Jackpot Challenge on January 27, 2017. Employees, as well as friends and family, will each pay $60 to take part in the challenge and join teams to lose an average of 6% body weight to win a share of the jackpot. Though centered on ensuring patients’ health and wellness, Sierra View Medical Center is promoting healthy living and fun competition for their employees as well.