Starting a Wellness Initiative

There are many resources to help a company begin to assess needs and develop a focus on health and wellness initiatives at the worksite.

If you are just beginning this process or have made some efforts to address this in the past, the following may be helpful to assist you.

WELCOA

WELCOA is the premier wellness resource for North American companies that maintain or wish to start employee wellness programs. The Wellness Council of America is dedicated to promoting healthier life styles for all Americans through health promotion initiatives at the worksite. Their website can provide access to professionals who can give “individualized structure to help organizations build results-oriented wellness programs.”

Clicking on their website will take you to research validating the efficacy of wellness projects, steps to create working teams and engaged employees and determining how to justify the cost/benefit ratio. Whether you are trying to start a wellness initiative or looking for ways to improve or expand what you are currently doing, take a look at this resource.

  • Making the Case for Workplace Wellness
  • Capturing the CEO Support
  • Creative Cohesive Wellness Teams
  • Collecting Data to Drive Health Efforts

WORK WELL

Work Well is another amazing resource that offers a lot of start-up help for companies wanting to promote wellness. Workwell is a local organization that, in addition to offering the following links to free resources, offers companies consultants to analyze their data and begin to assess the benefit of their wellness initiatives.

Tools and Consultation

FREE state-of-the-art health risk appraisal, (HRA), to determine your company’s primary health concerns.

FREE consultation to review your HRA data and help you prioritize your focus for your wellness plan.

FREE consultation to assist in writing an annual wellness plan.

Train the Trainer

Monthly meetings on various health and wellness topics featuring local and national speakers. Attendance at the meetings is FREE, however they do offer the option to purchase lunch at a nominal fee.

FREE smoking cessation facilitator training to train worksite representatives on how to lead a smoking/tobacco cessation group at their own worksite.

Workshops and conferences to help train companies on evidence-based wellness plan design. These workshops are conducted throughout Nebraska. Members receive a discount.

Turn-key Service

This is an on-line listing of health presentations and screenings offered to you at a reduced fee or FREE. Reference checks have been conducted on all providers.

Three FREE wellness kits containing brochures and health information on various health topics and community health events.

An annual community health incentive program where participants score points for good health behaviors. Scorecards then become a drawing card for a raffle with more than 100 great prizes! This program is only available to WorkWell member employees!

FREE on-line health newsletters

Networking

Networking opportunities including an IDEA EXCHANGE to share and steal great wellness program ideas from each other.

Source: Work Well