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Worksite Wellness Initiatives
HCCA Welcomes Amy
On May 1, 2008 Amy Wagner started at the Adult and Worksite Wellness Initiatives Program Manager. Amy is a Nationally Certified Worksite Wellness Program Consultant.
Did You Know?
* On average, employers spend an estimated $18,000 per employee per year for all costs related to health and lost productivity due to illness.
* Research shows that comprehensive worksite health promotion programs lead to at least a 25% reduction in these costs and can have returns on investment of $3 to $6. Savings are typically realized about two to five years after initial investment.
The Health and Productivity Management (HPM) Model offers an organizational approach to worksite wellness creating a strong cultural value that helps align the organization's structure. It becomes part of how a worksite does business. It aligns the policies and environments, creating awareness and motivation while building supports and reinforcing healthier behaviors. Other key components of the HPM are as follows:
* results driven
* strong emphasis on risk reduction
* highly personalized interventions
* includes a high level of evaluation
* high rates of return on investment
The incentives offered to employees are significant and usually tied to benefits, such as discounts on employee portion of health insurance costs, copays, deductibles, and tax incentive payments.
Activities are offered on site, often connecing employees and their families to community offerings, and makes use of virtual platforms such as internet, intranet and electronic newsletters.
HPM is shown to reduce absenteeism and presenteeism while increasing productivity, moral and retention while impacting health insurances. |
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How We Can Help Your Wellness Team...
New Software Available
The Healthy Maine Partnerships will launch a new software program to help worksites develop their worksite wellness programs. The new software will include Health Risk Assessments with aggregate data for employers with 30 or more employees, employee health interest surveys, inventories of company supports and culture, program and policy ideas and links to resources to help worksite accomplish their goals.
Be among the first in the state to use this program to help your organization create an award winning worksite wellness program, call Amy at 588-5019.
Health Observances
Another tool offered by Healthy Communities of the Capital area to worksites is a Health Observances at a Glance document that details health related "holidays." Each month a few health holidays are selected and paired with a number of participating organization websites for information, free downloads and other resources that can be purchased, local resources, planning guides and program evaluation strategies.
New Wellness Team Member
Amy is available to join your wellness team, provide unlimited worksite wellness consulting, help link organizations to local, state and national resources, best practices/evidence based programs, help with policy development and strategic planning. |
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Is Your Worksite Ready to Celebrate or Throw in the Towel?
This is a good time to reflect on the process, did we follow the steps recommended by the organizations that promote worksite wellness, do we have the right support or are we using the right data to select our activities? Before any big decisions are made about the future now is time to evaluate where your organization is and where it wants to be.
There are a number of resources available to help you with this process, call HCCA for a self assessment checklist today at 588-5019 or email awagner@mcd.org |
| Health Observances
October
National Depression Screening Day - 2
National Mammography Day - 17
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month
National Work and Family Month
Talk About Prescriptions Month
Children's Health Month
November
Great American Smoke Out - 20
Tie One on For Safety Campaign November 22 - January 1
American Diabetes Month
Great American Smoke Out Month
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention (3D) Month
National Healthy Skin Month
December
National Hand Washing Awareness Week
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
For more information on any of these holidays request a copy of the Health Observances at a Glance and start planning your "Health Holiday"
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Adult Wellness Initiatives
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area and Spectrum Generations' Sprectrum Link program are partnering to convene the Capital Area Collaborative, a coalition of agencies that serve seniors and the disabled in Southern Kennebec County. The next meeting is November 18, 8:30 am at the Department of Health and Human Services building at 41 Anthony Avenue, Augusta for more information contact HCCA at 588-5012 or Martha Cushing of Spectrum Generations at mcushing@spectrumgenerations.org
Current subcommittees include Matter of Balance/Chronic Disease Self Management strategic planning, Membership, and Website development.
Past presenters include Joanne Joy, Healthy Communities of the Capital Area; Pat Greenleaf, Sprectrum Generations' Money Management Program; Jennifer Howe, Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center; Rob Gordon, Home Heating Concerns Group, United Way and Bob Thibodeau, Food Stamp Program Manager, Department of Health and Human Services. |
