OREANDA-NEWS. The National Business Group on Health has honored Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU) for their ongoing commitment to reducing health care disparities in the workplace and for supporting a diverse workforce. The company was recognized with the 3rd Annual Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities Award at the National Business Group on Health's 2013 Business Health Agenda conference held in Washington, DC.

In presenting the award, Helen Darling, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health, commented: “We are very pleased to honor Prudential for their relentless efforts and innovative approaches to reduce health care disparities. More and more companies understand just how important it is that their health care benefit programs meet the needs of a culturally diverse workforce. Prudential recognize that by addressing health care disparities, they are improving the value, quality and effectiveness of the health care services their employees receive.”

“Prudential's commitment to health is closely aligned with its commitment to diversity and inclusion. A one size fits all approach to health won't work. It's important to understand how differences like race, gender and lifestyle may be influencing well-being and figure that into our care strategies for employees and their dependents," says Dr. Andrew Crighton, Prudential's chief medical officer. "We're encouraged in our efforts by this recognition and honored to be acknowledged in this way.”

Since 2006, Prudential's Health & Wellness team has been analyzing health disparity data trends to help increase the efficacy of its health programming. The company requests that its partners keep them apprised of their efforts to decrease disparities and help identify opportunities to do greater good within its population. In 2011, Prudential launched its “Healthy Diabetic” chronic disease program. The company selected diabetes because of the incidence and ramifications of the disease within its population, the modifiable nature of the disease with targeted interventions and because its health disparity data showed a disproportionate incidence of the disease among some groups within its population. The goal of the program was to enhance the client/nurse relationship with individualized and focused coaching toward helping the clients achieve glycemic control (A1C<7%) decreasing their risk of complications from the disease, and toward empowering them to make healthy life style changes through appropriate referrals and education.

“We know that health disparities affect all employers, and that failure to address them will seriously hurt the health, productivity and quality of life of their employees and dependents. The leadership team at Prudential understands the importance of reducing health disparities and we strongly encourage other employers to follow the lead of these leading organizations in addressing the issue of health care disparities,” Darling concluded.