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PITTSBURG —
Work Well Kansas is both an initiative and a motto.
Work Well Kansas, a statewide initiative funded by the Kansas Health Foundation and started by the Wichita Business Coalition on Health Care, will be expanding into the Pittsburg area starting this week.
“The main goal is to improve the health and wellness within a work site,” said Betty Harrison, vice president of finance for the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. “By doing that, it will benefit the employees, but also the employers. It’s beneficial to the employee, because they feel better, they probably have better fitness, and it improves their stress levels. For the employers, they see decreased health costs, decreased absenteeism, decreased injuries, and on the other side, increased productivity.”
The Chamber is one of seven businesses in Pittsburg that will be part of the Work Well Kansas initiative this year. The others are Mosaic, AZZ Atkinson Industries, the Family Resource Center, Guest Home Estates, Via Christi Hospital, and the City of Pittsburg.
The first part of the initiative will start as soon as Thursday, when representatives from those organizations will meet with facilitator Dr. Elizabeth Ablah. The conference will extend on to Friday.
“All the work sites filled out a work health assessment online,” Harrison said. “They’re compiling information and will come back with an overall assessment for their companies. Each company will spend time doing a health and wellness plan for their company. All are based on individual needs.”
The health and wellness plans can be anything, from smoking cessation classes to bringing a physician to the worksite regularly.
“Anything, even if it’s as small as having a piece of fruit instead of candy or juice instead of a soda. It could be all the way up to a weekly exercise class that employees can attend. It can be very minimal or something huge. The choices are unlimited,” Harrison said.
Work Well Kansas is a three-year plan, and this is the second year of the plan. Harrison said that if successful, the successes in these seven groups could be shared with the other businesses in the county.
“If we can get one person to stop smoking, that’s wonderful. It’s not designed to be a ‘Biggest Loser’-style competition. It’s truly designed to make better choices on health, but changes for overall health for all involved,” Harrison said. “We’re very excited that they chose to invite us to be one of the communities involved. It’s exciting to offer something like this.”
Work Well Kansas is both an initiative and a motto.
Work Well Kansas, a statewide initiative funded by the Kansas Health Foundation and started by the Wichita Business Coalition on Health Care, will be expanding into the Pittsburg area starting this week.
“The main goal is to improve the health and wellness within a work site,” said Betty Harrison, vice president of finance for the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. “By doing that, it will benefit the employees, but also the employers. It’s beneficial to the employee, because they feel better, they probably have better fitness, and it improves their stress levels. For the employers, they see decreased health costs, decreased absenteeism, decreased injuries, and on the other side, increased productivity.”
The Chamber is one of seven businesses in Pittsburg that will be part of the Work Well Kansas initiative this year. The others are Mosaic, AZZ Atkinson Industries, the Family Resource Center, Guest Home Estates, Via Christi Hospital, and the City of Pittsburg.
The first part of the initiative will start as soon as Thursday, when representatives from those organizations will meet with facilitator Dr. Elizabeth Ablah. The conference will extend on to Friday.
“All the work sites filled out a work health assessment online,” Harrison said. “They’re compiling information and will come back with an overall assessment for their companies. Each company will spend time doing a health and wellness plan for their company. All are based on individual needs.”
The health and wellness plans can be anything, from smoking cessation classes to bringing a physician to the worksite regularly.
“Anything, even if it’s as small as having a piece of fruit instead of candy or juice instead of a soda. It could be all the way up to a weekly exercise class that employees can attend. It can be very minimal or something huge. The choices are unlimited,” Harrison said.
Work Well Kansas is a three-year plan, and this is the second year of the plan. Harrison said that if successful, the successes in these seven groups could be shared with the other businesses in the county.
“If we can get one person to stop smoking, that’s wonderful. It’s not designed to be a ‘Biggest Loser’-style competition. It’s truly designed to make better choices on health, but changes for overall health for all involved,” Harrison said. “We’re very excited that they chose to invite us to be one of the communities involved. It’s exciting to offer something like this.”
