2010 Model Practice Application (Public)

Fired Up and Getting Fit

Pulaski County Health Department

The Fired Up and Getting Fit Worksite Wellness Program was created and implemented to battle the ongoing obesity epidemic. A healthier workforce reduces the prevalence of absenteeism and presenteeism of staff members as well as lower occurrence of health insurance claims. Through reaching the working adult class we can also indirectly reach the children and elder adults that are cared for by the working class. Our project goal is to serve as a catalyst to empower communities to increase physical activity and healthy eating and have already begun the process to change individual and community attitudes towards maintaining healthy lifestyles. This program strives to increase motivation, opportunities to be active and to increase goal setting and commitment to health. School and business worksite wellness programs will increase the amount of time adults devote to physical activity. Workplace interventions will offer companionship and social support networks that promote increased physical activity and healthy eating. Through ongoing health education, participants will learn to set small goals to achieve a life long goal of living a healthy lifestyle. This healthy lifestyle will help achieve the long term goals of decreasing BMI and obesity rates, improve health outcomes, decrease sick time, and decrease medical bills. Our project goal is to serve as a catalyst to empower communities to increase physical activity and healthy eating and have already begun the process to change individual and community attitudes towards maintaining healthy lifestyles. This program strives to increase motivation, opportunities to be active and to increase goal setting and commitment to health. School and business worksite wellness programs will increase the amount of time adults devote to physical activity. Workplace interventions will offer companionship and social support networks that promote increased physical activity and healthy eating. Through ongoing health education, participants will learn to set small goals to achieve a life long goal of living a healthy lifestyle. This healthy lifestyle will help achieve the long term goals of decreasing BMI and obesity rates, improve health outcomes, decrease sick time and decrease medical bills.

The Fired Up and Getting Fit Worksite Wellness Program was created and implemented to battle the ongoing obesity epidemic. A healthier workforce reduces the prevalence of absenteeism and presenteeism of staff members. This increased health and quality of life of staff will not only create a better and healthier employee but will short-term lower the occurrence of doctor visits and health insurance claims and long-term will lower insurance premiums. Obesity is such a wide-spread issue that our community was already aware of its dangers. Our process was to continue to build on the knowledge the community had already obtained. Further education on obesity as a risk factor for many chronic diseases and how it can be treated or prevented was provided to the community as a whole through newspaper articles, radio spots sponsored by a local pharmacy, and through resources on our website. Health Education and counseling was provided on an individual level to the employees at the participating businesses. Our community has been very supportive and open of every program we offer that will help combat obesity. With the partnerships within the community, the built environment continues to improve and increase the access to physical activity opportunities and healthy foods.The Fired Up and Getting Fit Worksite Wellness Program reaches and educates the working adult class and also indirectly reaches the children and elder adults that are cared for by the working class. Studies have shown that today’s generation will be the first to have a shorter life span than their parents due to the growing obesity rates. Our program can aid in preventing this continued growth. Within the past year, 45% of participants lowered their BMI, 63% lowered their blood pressure, 48% lowered their blood cholesterol, 39% lowered their blood sugar, 66% lost inches and 77% increased their daily physical exercise. Every participant has improved their health at some level and are all working toward their goals set at the beginning of the program. The Fired Up and Getting Fit program continues to grow, get stronger and become more successful in helping those involved continue to increase or maintain their health and quality of life. The success rate of our practice shows that it is different than others. Many resources and avenues were researched on existing worksite programs and some were tried and tested and didn’t have the success rate that our practice has shown over and overThere are worksite wellness programs everywhere but many are not structured and followed through. Our practice provides an educational based program with a very solid structure that can be easily tailored to fit any business of any size. Our program uses a points system that is consistent, easy to follow and promotes daily healthy living. Our program promotes small steps toward reaching the ultimate goals. A detailed log of each participant is kept to track weight, health screenings, points and goals. Our practice also has a strong support system to keep employees motivated and moving in the right direction to accomplish their goals. The implementation was introduced slowly, as not to overwhelm participants. Our approach was unique in that we implemented the practice into businesses that have various settings (health center, schools, and banks), and all had similar success stories.With most of our community’s population falling in our target age population we feel we can reach the largest percent of the population and will indirectly reach or affect the health of the children and elders in the community that are being cared for or educated by this age group. The implementation of such a practice in a rural community was huge to those that were fortunate enough to participate. There is limited access to health-related programs and healthcare in our community as well as in many other rural communities. A search showed no matches to Model Practices for Worksite Wellness Prog

The Pulaski County Health Department is the implementing organization of the Fired Up and Getting Fit Worksite Wellness Program. The Pulaski County Health Department sought and received funding from the Missouri Foundation for Health to create, implement and manage this practice as well as other health promotion activities in the community. The Health Educators at the Health Department is responsible for presenting and implementing the program into the worksites and then educate and provide health screenings and counseling as needed. The Health Educator will manage the program until the businesses have implemented full policy of the program and sustain the program independently. The businesses participating in the program have been involved from the beginning. The banks and schools were approached with the idea and expressed interest in implementing such a program. The partners expressed different ideas and concerns during the planning and implementation processes. They have also played an important role in donating larger incentives for their staff and have been great motivator. With their continued support of the program and the successes that their staff has made, they have influenced other businesses in the area to consider implementing the program for their employees.

The Fired Up and Getting Fit Worksite Wellness program was implemented at the health department, four local banks, and four local school districts. The program provided worksite wellness programs including health screenings, competitions, and incentives for the participating staff at each location. Exercise classes and gym equipment were provided at the health department, banks, and schools. The initial funding for our Fired Up and Getting Fit was provided by the Missouri Foundation for Health. The grant was first awarded in 2006 as a two year project. The cost incurred during the first grant period was for a health department staff member salary and travel expense, incentives, screening costs, healthy snacks, printing expense, educational materials, and exercise equipment. The second grant award was a three year Model Practice Building project that began in 2008. The cost during the second grant period was again for a staff member salary and travel expense, incentives, healthy snacks, printing expense, and educational materials. As a part of the model practice building project we built on the program and created and implemented policies on wellness at the health department and local banks. Policies were implemented at the health department to allow employees flex time for physical activity. We are currently working with other local agencies on implementing the worksite policy in their facility(s) to fit needs such as scheduling and budget. The worksite wellness program is in the dissemination process with the banks and schools. Through this process the agencies will be able to sustain their worksite wellness programs and policies independently. The total cost of a program implemented into any location can be as inexpensive or as extravagant as the budget allows. The program can be sustained with as little as an existing staff members’ time to manage the program and copier/printing expenses. Incentives can be as a little as just the pride a team receives from accomplishing goals above everyone else or an extra dress down day to as much as having an entire medical insurance premium paid to a trip. Screenings can be done during yearly wellness exams or for a small fee at a local health department. Health education materials are typically available from a local health department, physicians office or online. Exercise equipment is an optional part of the project and can be implemented into any agency if space and budget allow. Exercise equipment and incentives are often donated. The current funding for Fired Up and Getting Fit is provided by the Missouri Foundation for Health’s Healthy & Active Communities Initiative. Any overage of budget line items is funded by the Pulaski County Health Department.

We met with and monitored each site bi-weekly. We offered one on one counseling and education to each site and individual in the program. Each participant was required to set short term and long term goals. The short term goals were based on bi-weekly charts that track daily healthy behaviors. The long term goals were set individually and could be met by accomplishing the short term goals. Incentives are offered as a motivational tool at each site to those meeting their short term goals. Incentives are given at the end of each 6 month session for achieving long term goals. We use a consistent tracking system tool throughout each site. This tracking tool has been evaluated and improved with the help of the Missouri Foundation for Health’s program staff and evaluation team. The information collected from the individuals from each site is used to track the short term goals, long term goals, health behaviors and healthy outcomes. Short-term goals are tracked bi-weekly and entered into a spreadsheet for each participant at each site. These totals are used to calculate the long term goal totals. By giving a point value to the goals, it gives motivation, incentive and friendly competition that we are able to track consistently. Health outcomes are based on and tracked parallel to the short- and long-term goals. Thus, long-term goals are met to improve and sustain healthy behaviors and outcomes. As long term goals are met and maintained, tracking of sick leave and insurance claims can begin to be analyzed. This analysis will begin at the end of 2010.

Current stakeholders have committed to sustaining the program post funding. Through meetings and presentations to employers, they have learned how to inexpensively sustain the program. Memorandums of Agreement have been signed by the businesses to sustain the program. As a part of our sustainability process, we will train each facility how to successfully implement and manage the program. A manual explaining the program, policy and tracking tools will be given to the facility. The health department will always have on staff nurses, health educators and a nutritionist for counseling to health department staff as well as to other community members. Health literature is available through the Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control, local physicians’ offices as well as several other health organizations and foundations. To sustain the incentives program, create approaches will be made to offer motivational incentives at little to no cost to the agency.

Our project goal is to serve as a catalyst to empower communities to increase physical activity and healthy eating that will create a good quality of life and help lower the prevalence of obesity.Decrease the BMI and obesity rates Currently our health educator meets with each of the 9 agencies on a bi-monthly basis. Our timeline is to continue to meet with them and have them ready to sustain the program independently by October 2010. There are a total of 176 participants. We have maintained these nine agencies on the program since 2006. Meetings are being set for two new agencies to implement the program.Weight and body measurements are taken and BMI is figured for each participant by a health department nurse or health educator. Participants are weighed in and measured by the same scale and measuring tape throughout the program to ensure consistence. The progress is tracked in the participants chart.Each participant is weighed and measured at the beginning of the program. Weight is then checked on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Measurements and BMI are collected at initially and then reassessed on a bi-annual basis or as needed.The data collected is distributed to the participants confidentially and education was provided and goals are set based on individual need. The health educators also tracks the data in the participants chart to track improvement made over a short and long period of time and help keep participants on track. The combined results of the program are sent to the Missouri Foundation for Health on a bi-annual basis as a part of an interim report.Within the past year, 45% of participants lowered their BMI, 66% lost inches, 77% increased their daily physical exercise and 71% increased their fruit and vegetable intake. Every participant has improved their health at some level and are all working toward their goals set at the beginning of the program. These results were as intended and have maintained this improvement trend from the time when it was implemented.Improve health outcomesCurrently our health educator meets with each of the 9 agencies on a bi-monthly basis. Our timeline is to continue to meet with them and have them ready to sustain the program independently by October 2010. There are a total of 176 participants. We have maintained these nine agencies on the program since 2006. Meetings are being set for two new agencies to implement the program.Weight and body measurements are taken and BMI is figured for each participant by a health department nurse or health educator. Blood levels are also checked on a bi-annual or as needed basis to all participants by a health department nurse. Participants are weighed in and measured by the same scale and measuring tape throughout the program to ensure consistence. The progress is tracked in the participants chart. Weight is assessed bi-weekly and blood levels are assessed on a bi-annual basis or as needed. Those with elevated levels are monitored more frequently.The data collected is distributed to the participants confidentially and education was provided and goals are set based on individual need. The health educators also tracks the data in the participants chart to track improvement made over a short and long period of time and help keep participants on track. The combined results of the program are sent to the Missouri Foundation for Health on a bi-annual basis as a part of an interim report.Each participant fills out a short-term and long-term goal sheet based on their health needs at the beginning of each session. Each participant is required to track their daily health behaviors, i.e. water intake, daily exercise, fruit and vegetable intake, fiber intake, and desirable weight. The desirable weights are based on the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company’s Desirable Weight Table. Behaviors are tracked and assigned a score which are totaled bi-weekly. Within the past year 63 % have lowered their blood pressure, 48% lowered their blood chol