CDC Recruiting Employers for Healthy Worksite Program
A series of four webinars in December and January will explain the program and how CDC will identify the seven locations where as many as 100 employers overall will participate.
CDC announced a series of four webinars will be presented to acquaint employers nationwide with the National Healthy Worksite Program, an initiative to establish and then evaluate comprehensive programs to improve the health of workers and their families. The agency plans to recruit as many as 100 small, medium-sized, and large employers in seven locations to participate by implementing various programs.
The announcement said the program will lead these sites through the process of building a workplace health program with the following components: Assessment of employer and employee needs, interests, health risks, and existing capacity; a planning process resulting in a workplace health improvement plan to guide the worksite through program development; implementation of programs, policies, and practices to address employee lifestyle risk factors related to physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use; building a program infrastructure within each worksite for long-term sustainability including evaluation, wellness committees, program champions, and leadership (CEO/senior executive) support; and participation in programmatic activities, training, and technical assistance.
The webinars will be held Dec. 20 from 2-3 p.m. EST; Jan. 13, 2012, from noon to 1 p.m. EST; Jan. 20 from noon to 1 p.m. EST; and Jan. 20 from 3-4 p.m. EST. Final selection of participating employers will be made on or about April 30, 2012.
Early registration for the webinars is encouraged because space is limited to 1,000 participants. Participants may register online:
Participating companies will pick from a menu of strategies that target physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use among their employees, such as these examples listed in the announcement: 1. Tobacco-free campus policy, subsidized quit-smoking counseling. 2. Work site farmer's market, nutrition counseling/education, menu labeling on healthy foods, healthy foods in cafeterias and vending, weight management counseling. 3. Stairwell enhancement, physical fitness/lifestyle counseling, walking trails/clubs, flextime policy.
Up to 15 employers of various sizes in each of seven regions will be chosen. The regions are:
- Region 1: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia
- Region 2: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee
- Region 3: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin
- Region 4: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas
- Region 5: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming
- Region 6: Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada
- Region 7: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington