The University of Louisville has been focusing heavily on itsemployees’ health and well-being since 2005, and has reapedincredible benefits along the way, including: significanthealthcare savings; lowered health risks within its staff roster;greater community involvement; and of course, stronger physical,social, mental and financial well-being among employees.

Related: Employers shifting from wellness towell-being

So, what’s the secret to the University of Louisville’s wellnessprogram success? Let’s take a look at the university’sdecade-plus-long story of workplace wellness, and highlight lessonslearned along the way.

With nearly 7,000 employees across three campuses on varyingshift schedules, the University of Louisville began the 21stcentury with employee health care costs skyrocketing by thedouble-digits year after year.

Even after adopting a self-insured health plan in 2002, costscontinued to spiral upward. Upon further examination by theuniversity’s director of health and disease management, PatriciaBenson, and members of the university’s leadership team realizedthe rising healthcare costs pointed back to one major factor: pooremployee health.

Related: 7 wellness benefits to maintain employees'zen

“After a couple of years, we realized that our own poor healthwas the cause of our high costs. We came to the realization that‘we have met the enemy, and it is us,’” said Benson. With themotivation to work together and under the university president’sdirective to change the fate of their health, the University ofLouisville team started its “Get HealthyNow” employee health program in 2005. Lesson #1:leadership support is crucial to program success from dayone.

Working with and listening to their employees, the universitystaff created a voluntary, incentive-based program designed tonurture a culture of health, engage employees and contain healthcare costs.

In its first year, the university offered a $20 per monthdiscount on health plan premiums to those who participated, whichled to 50 percent of its employee population participating in theprogram. After increasing the premium reduction to $40 per month,employee participation jumped up to 70 percent. Lesson #2:incentives are an investment in participation.

Looking to take the program to the next level and engageemployees on every level of their health and well-being experience,the university opened a wellness hub for employees: a 22,000 squarefoot wellness center that is free for employees and $10 per monthfor spouses.

Related: The future of workplace well-being

At the same time, the university team expanded its offerings toinclude workout classes, workshops on mindfulness, free personalcoaching regardless of an employee’s health risk, health andfitness assessments, smoking cessation classes, and workshops tosupport legal, social and financial development.

Coupled with a new online health management tool, employees nowhad anytime access to support for every dimension of their health.Lesson #3: make healthy habits easy and accessible for allemployees.

The “Get Healthy Now” program now enjoys a 74 percentparticipation rate, and all of this participation is driving majorresults:

• Decreased health risks. The program has decreased the averagenumber of health risks among employees from 5 or more health risksto 0-3 risks.

• Slowed rate of increase for medical claims costs. Participationin the program results in significant reductions in health careclaims costs — claims costs increase only by 2.5 percent forparticipants in the program compared to a 19.5 percent increase fornon-participants.

• Health care cost savings. Program participants see an averageclaims savings of $1,300, resulting in an estimated $4.3 million inreduced claims spending for the university.

And, every dollar invested in the wellness program generates $7in health care savings.

In 2013, the University of Louisville used these cost savings tofund a “living wage” goal that increased the minimum salary foremployees to $11 per hour — sharing in the wealth of good health —and helping support the financial well-being of their workforce.Lesson #4: creatively re-investing in the future of youremployees, whether financial or otherwise, creates programengagement.

The University of Louisville has undoubtedly achievedsignificant results through its “Get Healthy Now” program,including decreasing health risks, lowering healthcare costs andcreating a culture of health among employees.

But I’d like to leave you with one last lesson from theUniversity of Louisville’s story — never stop listening toemployees and examining creative ways to move your program andorganization forward.

Today, the university has plans to expand its wellnessinitiatives to reach its employees and the Louisville communityeven more significantly in the next 10 years.