Vision - Improved health and safety of DOH employees
Why Wellness – Wellness can be defined as “a state of optimal health, happiness and purpose”. Employees who participate in wellness programs are more likely to be engaged in the agency and their work, be here a year later, and have reduced health care risks, increased social support, and increased morale. Heathy lifestyles are associated with improved productivity and lower risk of chronic disease.
Philosophy - We strive to offer a variety of programs to meet employees where they are at, balancing physical and mental health programs and continually improving environmental and organizational support.
Nutrition
DOH supports healthy nutrition by offering lunch and learns, coordinating nutrition challenges, a recipe sharing platform, coordinating an onsite Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, and healthy options in the vending machine and onsite micro markets.
We also have a Food and Beverage policy and a Guidelines for Meetings and Events, which emphasize the importance of offering healthy options.
Health Education
DOH employees participating in agency yoga class are joined by the local wildlife.
Monthly health education sessions are supported as wellness training. These sessions offer intellectual and social opportunities to learn and share information from internal and external presenters about healthy eating, preventive health, mental health, stress reduction, and financial health.
A recent focus area for our wellness program is area is balancing those physical health programs with an equal number of mental/emotional health and social support. These include onsite seated massage, mindfulness meditation sessions, events that offer team building, networking and boost morale such as table tennis and employee resource groups.
Environmental Supports
DOH employees participating in an agency Laughter Yoga exercise.
Environmental Supports at DOH will vary slightly by location and may include; ergonomic assessments, sit/stand desks, wellness rooms, lactation rooms, onsite showers, support for physical activity, heathy eating guidelines for agency events and vending machines, scent neutral building guidelines, mobile work program, infant in the workplace program and workplace facility design to encourage movement, collaboration, and productivity.
DOH leaders are encouraged to include a safety, wellness, or diversity message within staff meetings helping to create a culture of health that supports employees wherever they are on the health continuum.
Wellness@Health SharePoint Site
Our internal site offers online resources and archived materials in our Wellness Library, as well as resource links for Stress Management, Mental Health and Crisis, Physical Activity, and Nutrition throughout SharePoint.
Structure
The Department of Health wellness program is under the umbrella of Washington Wellness, managed by Health Care Authority. This program offers several wellness programs to employees who have registered for state medical insurance with the Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB).
These programs include Smart Health, and other onsite preventive health screenings such as Flu, Diabetes, and Mammograms, which are coordinated by locations making it convenient for employees to get vaccinated, determine risk, and receive follow-up resources.
Wellness Structure
The Wellness@Health program is led by an agency wellness coordinator and supported by a volunteer wellness team. The wellness team includes representation from all DOH divisions and locations. Wellness champions lead physical activity & special events with support from wellness team members
Policies and Guidelines
- Wellness@Health Program Activities and Services Policy
- Wellness@Health Program Activities and Services Procedure
- Food and Beverage Service Policy
- Health Nutrition Guidelines: Implementation Guide for Meetings and Events
- Executive Order 13-06: Nutrition Guidelines
Measurements and Evaluations
DOH uses a variety of tools to measure success.
Smart Health Agency report. The agency receives an annual report that offers a summary of health trends by the Smart Health Annual Well Being assessment, and final reports of registered members, and incentives reached.
Cabinet Ranking on Smart Health – A list of cabinet agencies that includes eligible members, registered members, and well-being assessment completion.
Annual CDC scorecard – This annual scorecard compares all worksite wellness programs and offers a score based on highest possible points.
Employee Wellness Survey – Offered every few years, allows employees a formal way to evaluate and provide feedback on current and potential wellness programs ideas.
Program Evaluations – The program includes provides formal evaluations for lunch and learns and health challenges.
Participation & Feedback – Participation is tracked by location and by category including physical activity, mental/emotional, preventive health, and special events.