2022 Capacity Grant Funding Awardees
Each year, Active SWV offers 20 capacity building grants, with up to $1,500 per worksite that applies. These grant funds can be used to create policy, system, and environment changes in the workplace.
By adding more policy, system, and environment changes to the workplace, you help to create a lasting culture of wellbeing. These initiatives can focus on physical and mental health, nutrition, health education, and changes to the environment that increase employee access to wellbeing!
Healthnet Aeromedical
In 1986, a group of West Virginia healthcare leaders met and created a vision for a safe, high-quality, technologically advanced not-for-profit critical care transport system. From that vision, HealthNet Aeromedical Services was born.
From humble beginnings with two medical helicopters, HealthNet Aeromedical Services has grown into a nationally recognized industry leader. With eleven aircraft flying from nine strategically located bases across the state, and six ground ambulance bases providing critical care transport, the program is well-positioned to serve the entirety of Central Appalachia and beyond.
HealthNet Aeromedical Services is committed to providing compassionate, high quality care to our patients. In doing so, we strive to support the health and well-being of our team members who collectively complete greater than 25,000 ground ambulance transports and 4,500 flight transports each year.
After consulting with Active SWV, Healthnet is going to focus their grant funding towards creating physical activity spaces at each of their ground and air base locations. They will also focus efforts on creating more time and space for breastfeeding staff to have safe and comfortable spaces to use.
West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles (WV DMV) is a major financial generator for the State of WV Road Fund. Everything we do is essentially serving the public by keeping them licensed to drive, their vehicles titled and registered, and serving as the home of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, so we have a safety aspect built in as well. We collect revenue for highway maintenance and construction program. Over half of our agency is located “in the field” in our 25 Regional Offices across the state. The other half are located at DMV Headquarters in Kanawha City.
With roughly 600 employees, the WV DMV has focused their efforts on creating a staff walking group that will have regular meetings and follow up on things like satisfaction, participation, and over all success. Along with this walking group they also plan to host a water drinking event with the goal of increasing water consumption on site and out of work.
Southern Appalachian Labor School
The Southern Appalachian Labor School (SALS) serves the community with the SALS Community Center in Beards Fork and the SALS Historic Oak Hill School. Both serve as a food pantry, emergency shelter, and education with Accent Education/Feed and Read/Energy Express Programs. At Beards Fork, SALS has a fitness equipment, and a walking trail. In Oak Hill, it has 5 acres in the center of town with a Fayette Fabulous Fitness (formerly CURVES) facility and access to the city trail system. This project would utilize use of the in Oak Hill and Beards Fork grounds and facilities.
SALS goal of creating a sustainable and equitable health initiative begins with a policy allowing staff to take 30 minutes off for health and wellbeing per shift they work. They also plan on creating a safe space for staff to focus on mental health and relaxation.
Fayette County Health Department
The Fayette and Nicholas County Health Departments are local health entities that promote healthier lifestyles, one person at a time. We navigate barriers to enhance health screenings and needed care, for both chronic care and prevention needs. We help to create opportunities for people to improve their lives.
To get staffers more active, Fayette Co. Health Department is creating a mapped walking trail around their office. This trail will be open use for all who have access to use it including community members! They also plan on hosting monthly healthy lunches with salads and healthy snacks. To increase the sustainability of this effort they plan on hosting educational courses on healthy eating, cooking, and nutrition.
Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation
The Foundation was created in 1962 by and for the people of the Greater Kanawha Valley area. This area encompasses the following six county region: Kanawha, Putnam, Boone, Clay, Lincoln and Fayette. The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation is the largest Community Foundation in the State of West Virginia and celebrated its 60th year anniversary in 2022.
The Foundation is here to help individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits improve the lives within the community now and for generations to come. We assist donors in creating charitable funds, each with its own philanthropic purpose, and provide grants to nonprofits that meet the needs of the community.
Mental health is a major focus of the Active SWV programming. To help increase access to mental health and relaxation TGKVF plans on using the Calm app to facilitate meditation, yoga, stretching, and breathing classes. They also plan to participate in the upcoming Active SWV and Appalachian Timing Group virtual race series.
More Funding to Come!
If you are interested in applying to our next round of capacity grant funding, please follow this link or reach out to the Active SWV Workplace Wellness Director, Michael Fisher, at [email protected], (304) 254-8488. The next round of grand funding will opening soon!
These funds are available to any workplace having 20 or more employees and a minimum of one Work@Health certified employee. This FREE evidence based and CDC backed training course helps create a foundation for sustainable, equitable, and most importantly effective programming to create a culture of wellbeing for you and your staff!
The 6-week long virtual course walks you through employee surveying, wellbeing initiative creation and facilitation, and outcome surveying to see what is working, what needs adjustment, and how to create the best health opportunities for your staff! Don’t hesitate to reach out for more information!
