Over at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Health and Fitness Center at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany, health in the workplace is taking a front seat.
Akin to a wedding planner, the OSU Health and Fitness Center’s worksite wellness program aims to take the burden of wellness off the shoulders of the business and offer a complete revamping of the business culture.
Melissa Hendricks, director of the program, says it’s unique in that the program isn’t one-size-fits-all.
“We definitely tailor everything to meet the needs of the company,” says Hendricks. “We do a lot of employee challenges, whether it’s walking challenges and stress relief, and we can get a sense of engagement within the company, too.”
The corporate wellness program began two years ago when the Heit Center opened its doors, but Hendricks says within the past three to four months, it’s really begun to pick up speed. She attributes the success partly to Bob Evans, a company that takes advantage of the corporate wellness program. However, it’s also due to New Albany’s all-encompassing culture of health.
“One of New Albany’s goals is to be the healthiest community in the area,” says Hendricks. “This doesn’t just help the employees; it helps their families, it helps their way of life.”
John Paro, general manager of the OSU Health and Fitness Center, says that the program helps bridge the divide between New Albany employees and residents.
“I think New Albany embraces not only their residents, but anyone who works here is part of the community,” Paro says. “For us to impact not just the residents or people who are members here, we’re able to reach out to a greater population and make that change in the population.”
The specific programs offered are vast, among them sending specialists to the business once per week, lunch-and-learns, newsletters, and healthful recipes.
“I think that people are really loving it and enjoying it, because we don’t make it the standard program,” says Hendricks. “It doesn’t have to be about controlling health care costs; it’s all about engagement and showing your employees that you’re providing for them. It can be for whatever reason they want it to be.”
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
