Wellness activities noted in competition winner
Special attention to safety equipment and wellness activities were among the features that led the Indianapolis and Marion County Sheriff’s Department to win an award from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) in Arlington Heights, IL.
The occupational health program was one of four national winners in ACOEM’s 1999 Corporate Health Achievement Award (CHAA) competition.
The examining committee mentioned these parts of the program that committee members considered exemplary:
1.The city’s extensive personal protective equipment (PPE) program, which includes thorough hazards assessments, disseminating PPEs as appropriate, and comprehensive training and testing of employees on correct PPE use.
2. A comprehensive and widely disseminated workplace and community disaster preparedness plan, which includes written emergency plans and training given to all employees, annual and as-needed drills, community education programs, and "critical incident stress debriefings" designed to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder among those who have witnessed or been involved in life-threatening or traumatic incidents.
3. The health promotion/wellness program, described by the examiners as "one of the most extensive programs in the Midwest." It includes:
— employee health assessments that focus on early disease detection and treatment as well as risk assessment and injury prevention;
— a goal-setting system combined with free or low-cost programs to help workers make healthful changes;
— a free self-care book and newsletter articles, used by 53% of employees to educate themselves about health problems — and used to avoid a doctor visit in 44 % of cases.
4. A special wellness/fitness program for the Indianapolis Fire Department, part of an historic initiative sponsored by the Washington, DC-based International Association of Firefighters and the Fairfax, VA-based International Association of Fire Chiefs to develop standards for and promote health and safety among firefighters across the United States and Canada.
Satisfaction with the effectiveness of the city’s health promotion/wellness program runs high, with more than 95% of participating employees rating it as valuable to extremely valuable, and 77% reporting having made lifestyle improvements as a direct result of it.
5. An "exceptional" administrative and organizational structure comprising seven professional advisory groups headed by highly qualified staff — almost all at the doctorate level — who enjoy remarkably cooperative working relationships.
The examiners also commended the city for its innovative statistical design and analysis being conducted by the Bowen Institute, part of the Indiana University School of Medicine.
6. The city’s detailed evaluation and reporting of its occupational and environmental health programs, which involves careful tracking, documenting, and analyzing of results, as well as changing and improving programs based on outcomes obtained.
7. Ongoing participation in systematic research related to employee risk factors and health outcomes, which currently includes two studies with above-average participation.
Among the other initiatives lauded by the examiners was the city’s program to treat workplace injuries and illnesses, which resulted in 93% of injured employees being able to achieve their rehabilitation goals, 76% able to work without restrictions, and 17% able to work with short-term limitations.
Also, the examiners praised the city’s free employee assistance and chemical dependency programs, which showed a greater than 60% success rate for those who completed treatment.
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content