Category: All Stories

Arizona businesses are tapping into wellness programs to encourage healthy behaviors among employees and ultimately to save money.

Both small and large companies are looking into wellness programs for their employees because regardless of the size, trade and other defining characteristics of companies, wellness programs can be effective.

The varying definitions of what it truly means to be a healthy individual has made it difficult to quantify statistics that show the benefits of implementing a wellness program.

“I think businesses are acting in good faith and that they have the belief that these things work, but we still lack good evidence on what really works and what doesn’t,” said Dr. Joe Gerald, an expert in the economic evaluation of health interventions and an assistant professor in the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health.

 

By: Danielle Herrington

{youtube}quKcG0cXXpI{/youtube}

Since its settlement, Arizona has been marketed as a region for healing. Health resorts, hospitals, sanitoriums and tent cities sprung up all around to accommodate an influx of tuberculosis, asthma, allergy and arthritis patients. Tucson alone had at least 15 such institutions in 1933, according to a hospital directory written by James Clark Fifield with the cooperation of the American Hospital Association. 

Sam Hughes, a Welsh immigrant after whom Tucson’s national historic district is named, traveled west to pan for gold but developed tuberculosis at age 29 and came to Tucson to die. According to Hannah Fisher, information services librarian at the Arizona Health Services Library, Hughes’ condition improved with the high altitude and warm, dry air and went on to marry an 11-year-old orphan and have several children.

And Hughes wasn’t alone. Fisher said more than 7000 “lungers” came to Tucson in the late 1800s and early 1900s to be cured of their tuberculosis.

“The place must have been alive with tuberculosis patients,” Fisher said.

Today, many people with health conditions that are irritated by cold, damp climates continue to relocate to Arizona for its bountiful sunshine and warm, dry air.

The lovely desert oasis that is Arizona has long been known as a golf haven. Until recent years, the vibrant green colors of the fairway paralleled the boatloads of money the industry pulled in.

 With hundreds of golf courses scattered across the desert, the golf industry has long since been a pivotal force behind Arizona’s economy. With the economic downturn, revenue has dipped for various reasons, causing certain courses to struggle and city councils to explore alternative options to increase revenue and boost the economy.

According to the National Golf Federation, from 2000-2011 there was a drop of 10 percent in the amount of golfers who played per year overall.

If not remedied, the golf industry’s decline in the state will inevitably continue. Phoenix and Scottsdale are experiencing the economic struggles, but Tucson has gotten it the worst.

 

Welcome to the Apache Spirit Ranch. It’s a slice of the Old West—with some admittedly modern amenities to spare—nestled just two miles from the historic landmarks of Tombstone.

Horseback riding, western entertainment, and cowboy cuisine are some of the items listed on the ranch’s itinerary. It promises guests the opportunity to connect with the history and culture of the region.

But those who book a reservation at the ranch, hoping to lose themselves in the sweep of the Old West, have a chance of experiencing something bit more unexpected. Something a bit more German.

It is no lie, Americans love their beer and lots of it.

According to The Beer Institute’s most recent findings, Arizona’s annual beer consumption rests at 36.4 gallons per person, which falls close behind the leading state of Nevada at 44 gallons.

However, quantity isn’t the area of interest today. The trending focus is on smaller breweries, or microbreweries, that generally host a more profound range of distinct native flavors. According to the brewers association, “Craft beer is beer that is brewed by small, independent and traditional brewers with the finest quality ingredients and is conducted on a limited basis or seasonal basis.”