Nash County reaps rewards of workers' comp, wellness efforts

Participation of all county employees in Worksite Wellness program a testament to commitment of county commissioners, administration

By Alissa Willett
Wellness Program Coordinator

Nash County Government has made employee wellness a focus of its organization since its Worksite Wellness program was implemented in 2004. The county's leadership says it believes that in order to have a healthier and more productive workforce, health, wellness and safety should be a priority of all employees, and there must be constant communication and collaboration. According to Evan Sloan, Nash County's employee health promotions coordinator, the model seems to be working.

Now in its seventh year, the county's Worksite Wellness program boasts a 100 percent employee participation rate – an important consideration to the continued success of the program. Sloan focuses on delivering wellness programming to all employees and truly engaging staff in order to create as many effective and relevant health and wellness interventions as possible.

Safety is also a top priority for the county, and shared efforts between Sloan, Risk Manager Scott Rogers and NCACC Regional Risk Control Specialist Gerald Honeyblue have translated into a 400 percent increase in workers' compensation savings compared to the prior fiscal year.

Nash County has established four tenets within its Worksite Wellness program:

• The first tenet consists of an annual biometric screening, which includes a lipid panel, blood glucose testing and PSA testing for males over the age of 40.
• The second tenet involves one-on-one appointments for employees with a health coach, who is responsible for collecting various other physical metrics and reviewing the lab results with the employee. The health coach in Nash County is currently a board certified Physician's Assistant (PA), however any mid-level provider (i.e. nurse practitioner) would be able to provide this service. Biometric screening results that reveal unhealthy levels may qualify an employee for a follow-up program with the health coach, and the health coach schedules the frequency of these follow-up appointments based on the severity of the condition or disease.
• The third tenet is attendance at a safety and wellness-related seminar. The county provides an average of 25 seminars each calendar year that focus on a variety of health, safety and wellness topics. Employees are encouraged to attend at least one seminar per year.
• The fourth tenet is a health risk assessment (HRA) provided through a health insurance provider. The online health risk assessment asks the participant various health-related questions and, in conclusion, will provide the participant with an individual health profile and score. The personal profile explains what types of conditions or diseases for which the individual may have an increased risk. Once the individual reads his or her report, they are encouraged to make certain lifestyle changes in order to improve their health and decrease preventable health risks and overall insurance costs in the future. The HRA has added importance because the Human Resources Department receives an aggregate report providing direction for diseases or conditions that need to be focused on for the purpose of seminar and physical activity programming.

A 100 percent employee participation rate is far from common, and county leadership understands that there are some intrinsic components involved in being successful – the most important of which is the involvement and participation of management. The County Manager's Office constantly encourages leaders within the organization to promote wellness involvement by employees in their respective departments, since it is very important for these individuals to lead by example. Collaboration between Human Resources and the County Manager's Office is significant in that these two offices have access to every department within the organization. The promotion of universal participation from all employees is ultimately responsible for the success of the program.

The wellness programming includes much more than the four tenets. The annual health and wellness fair is always a great success, and hundreds of employees participate every year. In March 2011, the Nash County health and wellness fair had more than 40 vendors with interactive events, including free mammogram and kidney screenings and physical activity challenges staged between different departments.

The fair has also included various onsite exercise classes available for a small fee, such as Step Aerobics, Kettlebell, Kickboxing, Body Sculpting, Zumba and even Hip Hop Aerobics. All operate on rotating schedules. These classes take place within the onsite Wellness Room, which is equipped with various exercise equipment available for use by employees 24 hours a day.

Even with the success of the program, times change, needs change and employees change, Sloan said.

"You can't get comfortable with the current success of the program," he said. "You have to reinvent the components every year in order to make the program as effective as possible."

In order to reach the entire employee base, it's important to have a very involved wellness and safety committee to keep components relevant, exciting and far-reaching.

Program leaders say they have not yet reached the pinnacle of their wellness program. In the future, they hope to improve their program by incorporating a wellness website that employees can access to keep track of their progress and learn more about how to improve their individual health needs. The website should also promote current county wellness programs, enroll employees in exercise classes, provide customized educational materials, and be available for employees to access at any given time.

Program coordinators hope to increase the Worksite Wellness budget in future years. Further investment will reveal even higher returns on investment in healthcare savings, reduce employee absenteeism, prolong careers and increase job satisfaction. These are all factors that will lead to better service to the citizens of Nash County.

Sloan said that although further monetary investment would be "immensely appreciated," he is still "very appreciative of what has already been provided to the program by the County Manager's Office and the Board of Commissioners." The commitment shows an understanding that county administration is on the side of employees.

A culture of wellness in a community such as county government takes time and patience to implement. It is a challenge to get employees involved, therefore it is imperative to get support from managers, county commissioners and department heads.

Nash County is a great example of a county government that has a successful program in which all parties take safety and wellness programming seriously. The numbers illustrate Nash County's success!

Alissa Willett serves as wellness program coordinator for the County Health Plan. Contact Alissa at (919) 719-1125 or alissa.willett@ncacc.org.