Worksite Wellness 



One of the focus areas of the Healthy Communities Domain is in worksites wellness which provides technical assistance and guidance in worksite interventions to promote health. This area is a resource for identifying trends and best practices in worksite wellness as well as for developing community and organization level worksite programs, systems, and procedures.

Programs

Arkansas Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program (AHELP)

Arkansas Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program (AHELP) is a worksite wellness intervention designed for State Agency, Boards, and Commissions. The mission is to create a worksite culture that supports healthy lifestyle choices for state employees.

Community Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program (CHELP)

Community Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program (CHELP) is a worksite wellness intervention designed and is free to all Arkansas non-profit, for-profit, and local government worksites. The mission is to create a worksite culture that supports healthy choices for employees.

Downloads and Resources

Breastfeeding Friendly Worksites

  • Arkansas Act 621 - An Act to require Employers to provide unpaid break time and reasonable locations for expressing milk.
  • Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition (ABC)  - The Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition is dedicated to protecting and promoting breastfeeding in Arkansas. ABC’s membership is composed of mothers, healthcare professionals, and others who are dedicated to breastfeeding.
  • Le Leche League of Arkansas  - La Leche League International is an international, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support and encouragement to mothers who want to breastfeed. All mothers interested in breastfeeding are welcome to attend the monthly Group Meetings or to call a Leader for breastfeeding help.

Tobacco Control

  • ADH Tobacco Quitline   - One of the most important calls a tobacco user can make is to the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). It is confidential, and it is free
  • CDC’s Tobacco Webpage - This Web site provides a variety of information on tobacco including data and statistics, effective policies, programs and campaigns, recommended strategies, and other resources for consumers and the healthprofessional.
  • A Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services - The “Tobacco Use Treatment” chapter— of A Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services describes the importance of developing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive tobacco dependence treatment benefit. Tobacco-use treatment has been ranked as one of the top three preventive services in terms of impact, cost effectiveness, and effectiveness.

Nutrition

Physical Activity

  • ADH Physical Activity  - The Physical Activity section of the Arkansas Department of Health believes that it is necessary for both structured and non structured exercise to be a part of every individual’s life.
  • Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans - This site provides information on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines address physical activity for Americans of all ages including special populations.
  • National Physical Activity Plan - This site provides information on the U.S. National Physical Activity Plan, a comprehensive set of policies, programs, and initiatives that aim to increase physical activity in all segments of the American population. There is a section of the plan focused on business and industry.
  • Physical Activity Workplace Toolkits - This web page provides links to toolkits that address reducing barriers and increasing access to places for physical activity in the work place.
  • Worksite Policies - This Web page contains specific policies that affect health promotion at federal workplaces. Workplaces that are not federal agencies can use this information to generate ideas about how policies may impact health promotion in their organization.
  • CDC’s Physical Activity Website - This site provides a variety of information on physical activity including physical activity guidelines and recommendations, data and statistics, recommended strategies, and other resources.
  • Physical Activity Tools for Health Professionals - This Web page provides resources and tools for professionals to use including planning, promoting, and evaluating physical activity programs. The promotion section includes links to brochures that CDC has developed for the general public and links to other organizations that provide resources for physical activity promotion.
  • Active Environments - This Webpage provides links on public health, community design, and related sites that complement active environment efforts.
  • Exercise is Medicine - This Web page addresses physical activity counseling for health care providers.

Weight Management

  • ADH Obesity Prevention - Overweight and obesity are among the most serious health problems in Arkansas today and are at epidemic proportions in our state.
  • Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP) - The workgroup has compiled a comprehensive web-based clearinghouse/toolkit that is a resource for employers and human resource personnel.  The resources include a collection of best practice and evidence-based worksite intervention programs that are proven effective for employers to model in their worksite.
  • CDC’s Overweight and Obesity website - This site provides a variety of information on overweight and obesity including obesity trends, economic consequences, state-based programs, recommended strategies, and other resources for the health professional.
  • CDC’s Healthy Weight Webpage - This site provides a variety of information on achieving and maintaining a healthy weight including important information on weight assessments, balancing calories, health effects of overweight and obesity, and other resources.
  • CDC’s LEAN Works! - This Web-based resource offers interactive tools and evidence-based resources to design effective worksite obesity prevention and control programs.

High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol

  • Arkansas Blood Pressure Quality Improvement Program - The Arkansas Department of Health, Chronic Disease Prevention and Control Branch’s Blood Pressure Measurement Quality Improvement program was developed in June 2013 to bring health providers up-to-date on the latest standards of blood pressure measurement, protocols and equipment, to improve the accuracy and reliability of blood pressure readings and to empower providers to lower patient risk from uncontrolled high blood pressure.
  • CDC’s High Blood Pressure Web site and CDC’s High Cholesterol Website - These two sites provide a variety of information on high blood pressure and cholesterol including trends and
    statistics, economic consequences, state-based programs, related CDC Web sites, recommended strategies, and other resources for patients and professionals.
  • A Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services - Developed in collaboration with the National Business Group on Health and the CDC, the Purchaser’s Guide translates clinical guidelines and medical evidence, providing large employers with the informationthey need to select, define, and implement preventive health benefits such as hypertension and lipid screening, counseling, and treatment.
  • National Heart, Blood, Lung Institute - This site includes publications, fact sheets, Web sites, and interactive Web applications such as Your Guide to
    Lowering High Blood Pressure and Your Guide to Lowering Cholesterol with Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes.
  • American Heart Association—High Cholesterol - This site will provide information about cholesterol including why cholesterol matters; understanding your risk for cholesterol; symptoms, diagnosis, and monitoring of cholesterol; prevention and treatment of cholesterol; and cholesterol tools and resources.
  • American Heart Association—High Blood Pressure - This site will provide information about high blood pressure (HBP); why HBP matters; your risk for HBP; symptoms, diagnosis and monitoring of HBP; and prevention and treatment of HBP.
  • Stanford Patient Education Research Center - The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program is a 2 ½-hour workshop given once a week, for six weeks, in community or worksite settings such as senior centers, churches, libraries and hospitals. People with different chronic health problems, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol, can attend together. 

Diabetes

  • ADH Diabetes Prevention and Control  - The Diabetes Prevention and Control Section (DPCS) has provided services to professionals and communities since 1997 in an effort to reduce the burden of diabetes in our state. The program provides a wide range of support services such as technical assistance, quality improvement training, health care team scholarships, and health promotion through media messages.
  • Diabetes At Work - This easy-to-use Web site helps companies to assess their need for diabetes education at the worksite. Users can download more than 30 lesson plans and fact sheets resources that can be used to inform employees about how to best manage their diabetes while at work and how to reduce their risk of further complications.
  • The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) - NDEP is a partnership of the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than 200 public and private organizations. NDEP translates the latest science and spreads the word that diabetes is serious, common, and costly, yet controllable and, for type 2, preventable. The resources do not have a copyright so may be co-branded.

Glossary

Brochures, videos, posters, pamphlets, and newsletters: These are print and other media sources of
information made available to be read at one’s leisure.

Comprehensive worksite health promotion programs: Elements of comprehensive worksite health promotion programs, as defined by Healthy People 2010, contain five elements: health education, supportive social and physical environments, integration of worksite wellness programs into organizational structure, linkages to related programs (e.g., Employee Assistance Programs), and screening programs.25 Partnerships for a Healthy Workforce added two additional components: some process for supporting individual behavior change with follow-up interventions, and an evaluation and improvement process to help enhance the program’s effectiveness and efficiency.

Evidence-based intervention or strategy: An intervention or strategy that has potential for impact,
substantiated by evaluation and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Health Promotion: Also known as “worksite wellness” or “wellness programs,” are services, programs, and
environmental supports offered at worksites that are designed to help employees improve their health and
maintain healthy lifestyles.

HRA: Health Risk Assessment/Appraisal is a health questionnaire used to provide individuals with an
evaluation of their health risks and quality of life.

One-on-one or group lifestyle counseling: A communication process between a trained health professional
and an individual or group. A patient education approach offers information and technical skills.The stages
of counseling include 1) building a relationship, 2) making an informed assessment, 3) establishing agreed
upon goals and objectives, and 4) developing an implementation plan.

Self-management programs: A collaborative, interactive, ongoing process involving the individual(s) and
educator(s), where the educator provides the knowledge, skills (specifically, problem solving skills), and tools one needs to successfully manage his or her condition(s), make informed decisions, and engage in healthy behaviors and avoid many of the complications that may be associated with it.

Seminars, workshops, classes: A one time or limited set of educational offerings, typically provided in a
group setting.

Worksite: A worksite is a building, unique location, or business unit within the organization where work
occurs. A worksite can include a campus of multiple buildings as long as all the buildings are in close
proximity (walking distance) and defined as part of the organization.

Contact Address Phone Fax
Worksite Wellness Section Chief

4815 West Markham, Slot 6
Little Rock, AR 72205-3867

501-661-2381 501-280-4706