Lake Lanier Islands Resort launched a new group wellness program Tuesday that organizers say is charting new territory in the world of destination health programs.

Legacy Wellness offers fitness and nutrition classes as well as health screenings in connection with corporate meetings, reunions, weddings and other social events.

The program's exact parameters will be designed on a case-by-case basis, said Misha Ahern, a former employee of the nationally known Canyon Ranch health resort and Legacy Wellness' new manager of wellness development.

For example, a company wanting to improve the health of its employees could hold a conference at the resort and include cooking instruction, exercise classes and health lectures.

Or a couple holding their wedding at the facility could incorporate a morning yoga class on the golf course and a meditation session in the evening.

Ahern said the program, which is open to groups of 10 or more, may remind some people of Canyon Ranch or other destination wellness programs. But Legacy Wellness is not about placing strict limitations on attendees, Ahern said.

"Canyon Ranch is nirvana for health and wellness," she said. " ... It is perfection of wellness. What we offer here at Lake Lanier Islands is so different. We offer real world. We offer the choices."

Resort CEO Virgil Williams sees the program as being effectively used by corporations wanting to improve the health of their employees and lower health care premiums.

"Corporate America is really becoming focused more than ever and is escalating more than ever on a healthy work force," he said. "When they do look at that and they say ‘Well how do we do it? Do we have gyms in our office building? How do we go about doing it?,' it's not an easy answer. What we offer is a tool."

At the start of their stay, the company's employees would be given biometric screenings and personal wellness profiles as a baseline for improvement. The owners will be provided an aggregate report that will show the overall health of their workforce but not include any individualized results. Participants will be outfitted with a pedometer that will allow them to track their progress and stay in contact with the Legacy Wellness staff once their stay is over.

After a year, Ahern said, the company could have the employees complete another health diagnostic either at the resort or online. The company will then be able to show measurable improvement in their employees' health, findings which can be given to insurance companies to show health improvement and ultimately reduce premiums.

Legacy Wellness will also have a community component, and Ahern said she expects $15 health classes to be open to the public soon.

Private exercise classes, lectures and health screenings can be organized on an á la carte basis for groups of 10 or more.

Williams said the program is of personal significance to himself and his wife, who are both cancer survivors. As they worked on their own health, they realized their resort offered an opportunity to pass those lessons on to others.

"We felt like it was working for us," he said. "And we have this environment here which is a beautiful, serene environment with all of these amenities and activities, (but) we weren't including any wellness in it for the average person who may want to visit here and learn the lesson that we've learned."