Who We Are
Free & Clear, Inc., formerly The Center for Health Promotion, Inc., was originally a department of Group Health Cooperative, a consumer-managed, regional health system serving more than 600,000 members in the Pacific Northwest.
In November 2003, The Center for Health Promotion spun off from Group Health Cooperative under the direction of a group of venture capitalists including Polaris Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners and Kaiser Permanente Ventures to officially form Free & Clear, Inc. as an independent business. In July 2004, Tim Kilgallon was appointed CEO.
Today, Free & Clear, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alere, specializes in web-based learning and phone-based cognitive behavioral coaching to help employers, health plans and state governments improve the overall health and productivity of their covered populations. Free & Clear’s evidence-based programs address the four key modifiable health risks that contribute to chronic disease: tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity and stress. Evidence-based and subject to continuous improvement, Free & Clear’s programs reflect the company’s standards of excellence in scalable service quality, customer service, continuous program improvement and transparent reporting of measurable outcomes.
The Quit For Life® Program, brought to you by a partnership between the American Cancer Society® and Free & Clear, evolved 25 years ago out of research funded by the National Cancer Institute to test the effectiveness of telephonic smoking cessation treatment. The results of the study showed that combining self-management materials with cessation calls boosted quit rates over 50% compared to controls. Since that time Free & Clear has established itself as the national leader in tobacco dependence treatment.
In September 2008, Free & Clear announced the addition of The Mind & Body® Program, a new innovative behavior change solution to help employers address the key risk factors for chronic disease and obesity within their workforces. The Mind & Body Program teaches participants to master The 8 Essential Practices for a Healthy Mind & Body® using an adaptive curriculum made up of online learning, community support and expert guidance via phone, email and online interactions.
Free & Clear works with national health care leaders such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides services to 28 state governments and more than 550 commercial organizations, 63 of which are in the Fortune 500, and has contributed to more than 100 published research studies.