Worksite Wellness: Building Connections to Healthier Lives

Rising healthcare costs are prompting companies to address employee behaviors, often focusing only on individual choices. To enhance these efforts by utilizing an ecological model the health department's Fit City Worksite Wellness program helps management to recognize organizational barriers to implementing positive changes and their responsibility in correcting them. The program assesses the work environment, identifying in-place resources (e.g., walking trails, sidewalks, healthy vending machine options, food and physical activity policies, onsite fitness centers, showers, microwaves, refrigerators) and areas for improvement. The coordinator develops specific recommendations and a customized resource guide, and serves as a liaison with local partners (e.g., parks and recreation, greenway planners, transportation, city bicycling director, city pedestrian planner) to arrange awareness training, programming, equipment installation, such as bike racks, and connectivity opportunities, such as sidewalks. Regular evaluation monitors usage and promotes renewed commitment. This approach serves as a model for worksite wellness programs by providing management with expert guidance and establishing linkages with available community resources in a coordinated, efficient and effective manner. It also helps engender corporate support for other health-enhancing community initiatives (e.g., Master Pedestrian Plan, Greenways, Transportation Action Plan). The Fit City Worksite Wellness program was developed with funds from a Fit Community grant sponsored by the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund.