Worksite Wellness ProgramsWorksite Wellness Programs

The backbone of wellness programming at the worksite is health evaluation. It is the first major activity a company ought to do when first starting a wellness program. Health evaluation is often used in conjunction with the administration of a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA). The most effective way to screen is to utilize a health professional trained in wellness evaluation techniques and counseling to privately and individually evaluate participants. This wellness professional takes a brief health history and measures Blood Pressure and cholesterol. With computerized cholesterol desktop analyzers, results are obtained in about four minutes. Immediate feedback, consultation, and educational materials are provided. For those identified at-risk, follow-up appointments can be scheduled at this time. The whole process takes about twenty minutes per individual. The screening also supports an immediate opportunity to register participants in various health improvement programs based on their interests and identified health risks. Health evaluation can be done on an yearly basis and used as a means of monitoring health risks within the worksite. A health evaluation program needs to support multiple opportunities for participation. The service ought to be provided for all the various shifts of a company. The evaluation program ought to be conducted in highly visible areas so the process can be observed. Reluctant workers often like to be able to see what the program is about before they take part. When wellness screeners are not busy, they ought to perform outreach going to areas where workers gather and attempt to recruit workers. When well-planned and promoted, health evaluation can attract participation rates of 60% to 100%. These high participation rates have a positive influence on management producing support for further programming.