Veterans Health Administration Selects Essi Systems as Sole Source Provider to Reduce...

Veterans Health Administration Selects Essi Systems as Sole Source Provider to
Reduce Workplace Stress

Online tools help VA employees manage stress, increase productivity and
improve job satisfaction

SAN FRANCISCO, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Occupational Health, Safety and Prevention Strategic Health Care Group has
chosen Essi Systems(R) as their sole source provider for stress management and
behavior change tools for their employee health and wellness pilot program in
the Midwest Health Care Network (VISN 23). Essi Systems' StressMap(R) Online
and 21 Day Club(TM) will be used to assess employee stress and provide
interventions for dealing with stress effectively for VISN 23's 11,000
employees.

VISN 23 is one of 21 organizations of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Health Administration. It provides health care services to veterans in Iowa,
Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

"The VHA went through a comprehensive process to identify stress assessment
and behavior change products that have a profound and sustainable impact on
their employees' health and well being," said Esther M. Orioli, Essi Systems'
CEO. "They needed stress measurement tools that could easily be integrated
into their web-based program, accurately track and measure employees' progress
with aggregate and composite reporting systems, and be accessible to employees
through their intranet."

"Our employees are our most valuable asset, so it's important that we provide
them with tools that enrich their lives in the workplace and at home," said
Dr. Ebi Awosika, director of employee health promotion disease prevention
(VISN 23 Pilot). "We're creating a program that is measurable and sustainable,
and we hope will be used as a model for other organizations as a way to build
a resilient, motivated and productive workforce."

"Dr. Awosika was instrumental in getting this project off the ground, as was
Dr. Rob Wilson, VHA's national director of occupational health psychology,"
added Ms. Orioli. "From our first meeting with Dr. Wilson, he recognized the
need for Essi's stress tools and the impact they would have on VISN 23
employees. His efforts were critical in getting the pilot program launched."

About StressMap Online

StressMap Online targets areas for improvement and charts new strategies for
enhancing employees' personal and professional life. Completed in as little as
15 minutes, it guides employees to cope more effectively with job-related
stress, develops healthy behaviors, and increases job satisfaction and
productivity. StressMap Online is extensively researched, norm tested and
statistically reliable. It is confidential and secure - and a cost-effective
way to reach every employee in an organization.

StressMap Online can be used as a standalone assessment tool, integrated into
an existing health or stress program, or plugged into a company's intranet at
a fraction of the cost of traditional onsite training or health and wellness
programs.

About 21 Day Club

21 Day Club is the premier online stress assessment and interactive behavior
change program that guides users through a step-by-step process to create new
healthy behaviors, achieve professional and personal goals, and be productive
with fewer resources. This self-paced program is confidential, interactive,
and fosters employee self-responsibility and self-management. 21-Day Rule(R)
research shows that new behaviors can be developed in as little as five
minutes a day over a 21 day period to create habits that are lasting and
automatic.

Selection criteria

Essi Systems was selected for their 25 years of experience with organizations
to transform workplace stress into optimal performance, and for creating
statistically-reliable and norm-tested online stress mastery and behavior
change tools. The VA required self-administered online stress assessments that
were easy to use and didn't require too much time away from the job. StressMap
Online and 21 Day Club enable the VA to move quickly, meet the needs of its
employees immediately, eliminate development and technology start-up costs,
and track and measure employee populations.

"The VA recognized that measuring stress is critical for designing effective
health improvement interventions," said Ms. Orioli. "Our online stress mastery
program gives the VA a baseline on several key indicators and provides a
comparative analysis of the interventions' effectiveness and impact."

About Essi Systems

Essi Systems, Inc. is a management consulting company offering stress,
resiliency, emotional intelligence and leadership solutions to organizations
worldwide. Essi uses behavior change and mapping technologies, brain science
research, and 25 years of experience to deliver scientifically tested,
results-based, scalable products and services that increase employee
productivity, motivation and satisfaction; reduce corporate costs; and help
employees and companies achieve exceptional growth and performance. Essi's
solutions are used by Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies in 30 countries.
For information on the company and its services, go to www.essisystems.com.

Essi Systems, the Essi logo, Stress Map, and 21-Day Rule are registered
trademarks and 21 Day Club is a trademark of Essi Systems, Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Esther M. Orioli
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=88039

SOURCE Essi Systems, Inc.

Brian Fawkes of Essi Systems, Inc., +1-415-252-8224, bfawkes@essisystems.com