New Vending Machine Program From American Specialty Health Helps Employers Nationwide Provide Healthy Snacks, Drinks to Their Employees.

SAN DIEGO -- Mirroring the success of its own corporate wellness initiative, American Specialty Health (ASH) recently announced the creation of the Healthyroads Healthy Vending Machine Program. This national program, to be managed by ASH subsidiary Healthyroads, Inc. (Healthyroads), will offer assistance and support to employer groups seeking to provide healthy food and drink options to their workers through the implementation of employer-specific vending machine programs.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and the ERISA Industry Committee, over 60 percent of U.S. employers have implemented formal wellness programs to address health concerns such as obesity and poor nutrition, promote employee wellness, and manage rising health care costs. The Healthyroads Healthy Vending Machine Program plays a vital role in helping employers meet their corporate wellness goals by providing employees with workplace access to a variety of healthy, low-fat snacks and drinks.

With support from Healthyroads, employers can select the healthy vending machine program that best fits their company size and needs, including choosing from a Healthyroads-suggested list of vending machine vendors and products. Employers install and maintain their own vending machines but can order selections of such items as healthy chips, nuts, nutrition bars, and drinks directly from Healthyroads for sale in these machines.

In addition to these consultative services, Healthyroads also offers employers the opportunity to purchase "Healthy Bucks" vouchers to increase machine utilization through the use of employee rewards and incentives. Vending machines can be programmed according to employer choice to accept Healthy Bucks with a set dollar amount or to offer free healthy snacks and drinks in exchange for Healthy Bucks vouchers.

Healthyroads parent company ASH removed standard vending machines from its corporate headquarters in San Diego in 2001, replacing chips, candy bars, and soft drinks with healthier alternatives such as nutrition bars, juices, iced teas, and bottled water.

According to George DeVries, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of ASH, this program is successful on a number of levels: "As we've seen in our own offices, offering healthy food and drink options is an investment in the health and well-being of our employees and has led to healthier lifestyles and higher employee satisfaction," said DeVries. "We look forward to sharing our success with other employer groups through the launch of this Healthyroads program."

Healthyroads, Inc. is ASH's health education and e-commerce subsidiary, offering award-winning weight management, tobacco cessation, and healthy living programs. Healthyroads' wellness programs are designed to motivate members to achieve their personal health and wellness goals through a consistent, long-term commitment to healthier nutrition, fitness, and stress management habits. Through its Healthyroads.com(R) Web site, Healthyroads offers members access to over 1,300 peer-reviewed complementary health care articles and more than 2,400 dietary supplements and other wellness products.

American Specialty Health, Incorporated is the nation's leading specialty benefits organization for complementary health care, providing benefit, health education, affinity network, and consumer retail programs to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds nationwide. Based in San Diego, ASH has over 500 employees and administers benefit programs for more than 12.1 million members and affinity discount programs for more than 80 million members.

For more information, visit ASH online at ASHCompanies.com.