A new online resource for employers and health experts explains the components of successful health-and-wellness programs.

"Keeping America Healthy: A Guide To Successful Programs" was produced by the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. The organization examined programs in workplaces, schools, communities and health-system providers and insurers, identifying nine "essential elements" for programs that work.

The guide also includes examples of ways to change individual behavior, to maintain or improve health and to manage the high health care costs associated with chronic diseases, which account for 70 percent of U.S. expenditures.

The guide was launched Thursday, June 5, at promisingpractices.fightchronicdisease.org. An Ohio-specific edition is planned for later this month.

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