Lots of Greats in Oakley!

It feels great to be back on the road and out working with Kansans.  Oakley was the perfect place to begin our third year. Great views, great group, great (healthy) grub!

Thank you to all of the participants which include; Peoples State Bank, USD 274, Logan County Hospital, City of Oakley, The Bank, Frontier Ag, Inc., and the Northwest Kansas Education Service Center.

Keep up the hard work! With such great leaders good things are sure to happen in Oakley!

What is Better than Two Wheels? THREE OF COURSE!

We walk outside of the Pine Village Wellness Center in Moundridge during a WorkWell KS worksite wellness workshop  and find these grown up tricycles.  How incredible?  We were told that about twenty residents ride these around the facility, one of which is ninety seven years old!  Wow!  Physical activity helps us all live longer, healthier lives.  What an incredible story and where can we get some of these?

Wellness at my worksite is like a...

Asking workshop participants to describe worksite wellness at their worksite using a metaphor makes for some interesting conversation.  It can seem silly... and produces some silly responses, but it's important to think honestly about where your worksite really is in terms of supporting health and wellness.  In the workshops we discuss the Kansas Leadership competency, diagnosing the situation.  A piece of this is knowing your story. What is actually going on at your worksite? What is the story others are telling about your worksite and it's wellness efforts? Metaphors give us an opportunity to explore these stories openly.  It is also a chance to relate to one and other. This work is challenging and many other worksites in your community and across the state experience similar struggles and face the same barriers.  We decided to some really stories from real businesses facing real challenges across the state.

 

            

Again, these may seem silly, but how many of you relate to the issues they address.  Do you present employees with opportunities but struggle with engagement?  Do you have a number of programs and activities taking place, but no real goals or sense of direction? Do you offer some things that may be considered somewhat healthier or are dipping your toes into wellness like activities, but really lack commitment and dedication to the work?  Do you have employees or executives that have their heels completely dug in and find any change is difficult?  These are realities across the state and the challenges we discuss in all of our workshops.  If you would like to discuss these or other issues and/or need help brainstorming ways to address such barriers get in touch with your local Champions and/orWorkWell KS.

Life is Like Riding a Bike...to Keep Your Balance You Must Keep Moving!

We were excited  to have two bicycle commuters at the WorkWell KS workshop in Wichita! The group as a whole was fantastic.  They challenged not only each other, but the facilitators as well.  These difficult conversations are an integral part in bringing about change in the health and wellness of our worksites and our community.  Thank you Exacta Aerospace, Delta Dental,
Martin Pringle, Kansas Spine Hospital
Medical Society of Sedgwick County;
KU and Inter Faith Ministries for participating in this day and a half workshop.  Keep up the great work! Don't forget, wellness is a journey not a destination!

Practice May Make Perfect... but it Does Not Make Policies!

The WWKS Crew Walked 3 Miles on the Public Walking Trail!

Hello Beloit! The WorkWell KS crew is excited to be back in town.  Thanks to some additional funding from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment(KDHE), WorkWell KS is able to return to some of our Year 1 communities.  Our first return trip was to Beloit, KS.  The community's WorkWell KS Champions, Lori May and Janae Peters, both with the NCK Wellness Center, did a wonderful job of bringing both veteran and new worksites to the table to talk about creating strategic business plans that support healthy worksites.  The group was dynamic, engaged and full of energy.  They brought fantastic ideas to group conversations and it appears many businesses in the community have adopted some amazing practices that support the development of a healthy culture at their worksites.  Some businesses currently do not hire tobacco users, others are sure to provide healthy foods at work functions.  Many however had not yet developed policies to support and sustain these practices.  The work they are doing is WONDERFUL, but potentially in vain if a policy is not developed to sustain it. Policies address the "stickiness" factor we discuss in the WorkWell KS Workshop.  Policies secure a permanent place in the worksite for current and/or future practices.  Beloit is full of leaders and businesses committed to the health of  their employees and the community as a whole. We look forward to seeing the work you continue to do. The opportunities are endless!

Little Apple...BIG Ideas

Look at all of that PURPLE!

Manhattan KS, home of the Wildcats. (Go State!) (No, we are not KSU partial; we are actually a team divided. Aubrey a KSU grad and Elizabeth, employee of KU and Missty, KU fan) Out of this group of worksite representatives came this powerful quote,

“It is more cost effective for me to keep an employee healthy, than replace one.” 

WOW! How true! It is easy to think about the cost associated with creating a healthy environment at the worksite or maintaining a wellness program, but what about the cost of having unhealthy employees? Those costs tell an equally compelling story. Remember the chart below? (Hint: You saw it in the WorkWell KS Workshop)  This chart shows the whole cost of health that employers should consider.  It goes beyond just the cost of healthcare/medical care.  Employees with poor health cost employers whether or not they are on your health plan. 

It takes leadership bringing attention to these issues to make progress.  Thank you to Mercy Regional Health Center, USD #384, City of Manhattan, GTM Sportswear,KSU- Housing and Dining Services, and Riley County for engaging in the conversation about worksite wellness and  exercising leadership by participating in the Manhattan WorkWell KS Workshop.  

Go State! (One last one. I couldn't help myself!)

Feels Like Home... Because it is!

I was particularly excited for the WorkWell KS workshop in Salina because I(Aubrey) am a Salinian, born and raised.  I am proud that  worksites in my hometown are stepping up as leaders for health and are working to build healthy work environments that support their employees in living healthier lives.  The Salina Chamber of Commerce, The City of Salina, Great Plains Manufacturing, Comcare, USD 305, and Salina Regional Health Center were all present for the day and a half long workshop. It was great to hear this group discussing their role as leaders not only within their worksites, but in the community at large.  When we really think big picture, and what is at stake when we discus the health of our communities, we are able to see that we all share a role in the work to improve it!

Spot the Salt & More Monkey Business

We found ourselves back in Topeka for a Sodium Workshop presented by KDHE, Heartland Healthy Neighborhoods and the Shawnee County Health Agency as a part of their Spot the Salt project, a county-wide project aimed at helping the citizens of Shawnee County decrease heart disease and stroke by reducing the amount of sodium they consume.  

The workshop was attended by a number of businesses.  We were happy to see some familiar faces from our WorkWell KS group! This is a real life example of businesses coming together to support community transformation.   We were also happy the workshop took place in the Topeka Zoo! We were able to take a physical activity break during the workshop to visit the new baby orangutan. Talk about motivation to get up and move! That little guy was adorable, as where the other critters!

Part of the WorkWell KS Team. We just couldn't help ourselves. 

Why in the world focus on salt? About 90 percent of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet. Too much sodium increases a person’s risk for high blood pressure. High blood pressure often leads to heart disease and stroke. More than 800,000 people die each year from heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases, costing the nation $273 billion in health care in 2010. 

Employers have an opportunity to address sodium at the worksite or include it as a part of their strategic worksite wellness plan as a way to address both healthy foods and chronic diseases. What are your goals? What do you want to achieve? Does sodium reduction need to be a part of your strategy?

Vegetarian options on the Zoo's concessions menu!

Interested in the work Shawnee County is doing? Wanting more information? Check out their website! http://spotthesalt.com/

The Topeka Zoo was a fantastic location for the sodium workshop.  Not just because we were able to hold a baby alligator and see a newborn orangutan, but because they are leading by example in this work.  They have completely revised their concession's menu to include healthy options.  They want employees and patrons to have access to quality foods. We were very excited to see and sample their new menu!

On to our next adventure!

Quote for the Books!

The quote heard around the room at the WorkWell KS workshop! I will allow the community to remain unnamed, as well as it's deliverer.  I thank this person for their honesty and for the comedic relief provided by the delivery of the above statement during an intense group discussion.  While we can all laugh about the quote, there is definitely some validity to it. I can also say without a doubt that in almost every workshop we have had, someone is thinking the exact same thing.

It is easy to think about and discuss those knee jerk reactions for developing wellness plans.  We are completely comfortable brainstorming future programs for engagement or talking about wellness information that could be delivered to employees, but the second the "p" word is uttered the heat instantly rises.  

While Policy begins to make some uncomfortable it is the only way to ensure that years from now the work  you are doing to create a culture of health will remain.  This strategy packs a punch when it comes to higher level interventions that have the most potential for impact and sustainability. Visit http://www.workwellks.com/site/resources/ for policy examples that address various health priorities. Keep up the great work & remember to STAND UP TALL!

Worksite Wellness & a Little Monkey Business

The drive through the Flint Hills was full of ups and downs. (Ba-dum, ching) No, literally, the ups were the beautiful scenery, making some lovely friends during a pit stop in Neodesha, and the gorgeous scenery.  The downs were the number of bars on our cell phones, the scarcity of rest stops, and Elizabeth’s driving.  (I’m just kidding Elizabeth... sort of.)

We arrived in Pittsburg, KS and were excited to see gorillas everywhere!  Not real giant furry guys, but posters, signs, statues, as well as the names of menu items in restaurants! The entire community showed their local college, Pit State, tons of love.  It is always exciting to see community pride across the state.

Keeping with our tradition of eating locally, we stopped at Sweet Greens, Soup and Salad Bar, for a very quick lunch before our workshop. (Fantastic food and lots of healthy options!) 

The Pittsburg WorkWell KS Workshop was held at the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Champion, Betty Harrison, had convened an amazing group.  The City of Pittsburg, Family Resource Center, Guest Home Estates, Mosaic and Via Christi Hospital-Pittsburg were all present and brainstorming exciting ways to help each of their businesses develop a culture that supports employee’s healthy behaviors.  It was clear they value their employees, the health and wellness/well-being of those employees, and want their work environments to reflect this.We have enjoyed our time with this very engaged group.  

You have all given us some great ideas and we look forward to continuing our work with you! 

WE MADE IT!

WWKS Team and Topeka Champion

We are excited to be on the road again, traveling to our second community workshop.  Snow stopped us once, but Kansas weather permitting, we have finally made it! This trip has already been an adventure.  One tank of gas, a goose egg and a missing cell phone later, we arrived in Topeka, in time to enjoy a healthy lunch at the Black Bird Cafe. (They serve grapes as a side option! Love!) 

Topeka Champion, Misty Jimerson, has convened an amazing group.  Represented at the WorkWell KS workshop were Auburn Washburn (USD 437), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kanas, Community Resource Council,  Seaman High School (USD 345), Shawnee County, Shawnee County Health Agency, Shawnee County Department of Corrections, and the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.

This group challenged the WorkWell KS facilitators, pushed each other to think beyond their current work, and brainstormed some fantastic ideas to help build cultures of health at their worksites.  We look forward to see what the future holds for Topeka with these worksites leading the way in the community for health and wellness. 

See you in Pittsburg!