Jennifer Pech-Cinnamon, Operations Program Administrator, Clinical & Behavioral Sciences:   Sometimes, caught up in the everydayness of work, it can be hard to remember how important what we’re doing really is or how far the impact reaches. We at Free & Clear have helped almost 1 million people make positive changes in their lives! As a celebration and reminder, Free & Clear's Making A Difference (MAD) Committee created the Seeds of Change project--so we can have a tangible symbol of ou... [More]

Christine Welker, Quit Coach, Service Delivery:   As Ken Wassum discussed recently in his post, "Want to be a Nonsmoker in 2010? Make Plans to Quit Now," the New Year is the most popular time to try to quit tobacco. With just a little less than two weeks to go, many smokers are weighing their options, contemplating what life would be like without tobacco, and thinking about the reasons they may choose to quit tobacco for good. If you are a tobacco user, you may have loved ones who have ... [More]

Erin Thompson, Marketing Manager:   Today’s environment makes it extremely easy to neglect physical activity, an essential element of maintaining good health, warding off chronic disease, and achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Labor-saving technology, long commutes by car or bus, and hours spent on the computer for both work and play drain us of our energy and make it even harder to fit time in our busy schedules to get up and move. In Free & Clear's latest Clear Insights... [More]

Tim Kilgallon, Chief Executive Officer:   I’m excited to announce the signing of a definitive agreement that will make Free & Clear, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Alere LLC. (Here's our Press Release.) We’ve told our customers, business partners and employees about the acquisition, and many people have let us know how much they respect Alere® and that the acquisition makes sense for both companies. We're excited about the opportunities this ownership change presents for Free &... [More]

Erin Thompson, Marketing Manager:   In our modern environment, it's not hard to be stressed. Around the country, people are dealing with financial crises and job insecurity, which breed fear, uncertainty, and higher levels of stress, both in the home and the workplace. This can mean a severe drop in employee morale, health and productivity -- which puts your organization in its own financial crisis. A recent Gallup Poll concluded that while 80% of workers admit that they are stres... [More]

Ashley Smith, Senior Manager, Human Resources:   Last week, Free & Clear hosted its 3rd Annual Health & Fitness Week in conjunction with National Employee Health & Fitness Day on May 20th. Free & Clear’s wellness philosophy is to provide tools and resources to enable employees to make manageable health improvements. To align with our wellness philosophy and reinforce the methodology of our Mind & Body Program, Free & Clear expanded the National Employee Health & Fitness Day to a week-lo... [More]

John Seidler, Professional Relations Director:   During the current recession, organizations are looking for cost savings wherever they can find them. There is particular pressure on employers’ benefits managers to try to reduce those ever increasing health care costs. There has never been a better time to contain cost increases by implementing a program like Free & Clear’s Quit For Life® Program. Free & Clear happens to be in the right place at the right time. Our customer base a... [More]

Erin Thompson, Marketing Manager:   Most employees consume a significant portion of their daily nutrition away from home. This isn't surprising, considering the fact that employees spend the majority of time in their worksite environments. Unfortunately, employers don't often make things any easier on their workforce. Worksite environments are often minefields for people who are trying to make healthy decisions: vending machines are filled with sugary, salty snacks; cafeteria menus are ... [More]

Crystal Mackay, Scheduling and Workflow Associate, Service Delivery:   The recent tax increase on tobacco products is causing many people to scramble for their phones in a rush to seek help in quitting.  According to USA Today, there has been a tidal wave of calls flooding tobacco quit lines since Wednesday, April 1st, the day the increase took effect.  Free & Clear’s 17 state quit lines alone were up 369% from the same day in 2008.  This poses the question: How can a hotline help me qu... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager:   Here in India at the 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is center stage.  The WHO FCTC is a treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Since being adopted on February 27, 2005 it has since become one of the most widely embraced treaties in UN history and, as of today, has already 163 Parties. While the US is a party to the treaty we are not bound by it.  Why?  Bec... [More]