Three Panhandle businesses were honored with the Governor’s Wellness Award at the recent Panhandle Safety & Wellness Conference & Awards Luncheon in Gering Thursday, September 21st.
• Vistabeam received the Sower Award. The Sower Award is a stepping-stone to the Grower Award and are planting the seeds for wellness.
• Panhandle Public Health District received the Grower Award for growing the seeds for wellness at their organizations.
• Chadron Community Hospital received the Harvester Award. This award is for businesses that are reaping the benefits of an advanced wellness program, a developed wellness culture, and can demonstrate high-quality outcomes.
“We are always so proud to work with these organizations to create environments supporting employee health and well-being. They’ve made marked strides towards the prevention of devastating and costly chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer,” said Nicole Berosek, Organizational Wellness Coordinator.
Here’s a sampling of how these organizations are leading the charge:
1. Vistabeam takes wellness serious by providing opportunities to commit to a well-being lifestyle. As their staff grows, they want to make sure to offer a great work-life balance that supports a healthy lifestyle. Since the implementation of their wellness program, they have seen a positive change in their employees’ work-life balance. Vistabeam provides wellness reimbursements, has implemented multiple well-being policies, and strives to provide opportunities for every employee to take part in wellness no matter where they were working from.
2. Panhandle Public Health District (PPHD) believes in modeling good health and well-being to the residents they serve. They are committed to providing an environment and culture that supports health through policies, promotion, and ongoing programming. Elements of PPHD’s worksite wellness program include: access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for staff and immediate family members, access to health coaching and National Diabetes Prevention Program at no charge, paid breaks for physical activity, access to refrigeration and food preparation options at each office location, flex time, tobacco free campus and tobacco cessation supports, healthy meeting guidelines, walking workstations and sit-to-stand workstations, and much more.
3. Chadron Community Hospital has evolved from a one-person Wellness Program in 2006 to a committee with volunteer members from various departments throughout our Health System. Their committee attends the Panhandle Safety & Wellness Conference annually to stay up to date and inspired. Their programs always have excellent CEO support promoting wellness to their employees throughout the organization. They offer free Health Risk Assessments with blood chemistry panel to determine their areas of focus. They continue to stay active with nicotine cessation resulting in a low percentage of tobacco users and consider their largest successes to be a “Stop Light” healthy vending machine. Posters in employee restrooms across all facilities to improve wellness communication, 24/7 onsite access to cardiac rehab exercise room, fun challenges, poker walks, expectant parent packets, and fruit infused water every Wednesday. The hospital’s program has also included support of healthy community activities and providing education to our community.
The 6th Leading Light Award recipient was also honored. Dan Newhoff with Box Butte General Hospital was nominated for this prestigious award. Newhoff has been leading the hospital’s wellness committee for over ten years, serves on the statewide Advisory Committee for the Governor’s Wellness Award bringing a wealth of knowledge and support as a peer-reviewer, and is a leader in Activate Alliance, a grassroots committee that’s spearhead crosswalk beautification, a free bike-share program, walk audits, and many other active living initiatives for the Alliance community and as part of the hospital’s community health improvement plan.
Dan Newhoff states, “It’s an honor to be recognized as this year’s leading light award. I would like to thank my family; everyone I work with from Panhandle Public Health District and other organizations and wellness professionals in the Panhandle. You all do great work and are amazing to work with. To be recognized for this award in Annie’s Memory is an honor.”
The council will have a nominating process for the Leading Light recipient to be honored at next year’s conference.