Workplace Wellness Capacity Funding now OPEN!

     The WVDMV office in Charleston has over 600 employees, making it one of the larger organizations in our network. Reaching all of these employees is a challenge due to the many different needs that any department or individual may have. 

     After becoming Work@Health certified through Active SWV, Natalie Holcomb, a DMV Public Information Specialist Senior and Wellness Coordinator used the tools she acquired from the Work@Health training to survey and implement impactful physical activity and mental health initiatives throughout their location. 

     Active SWV Workplace Wellness capacity building funds were used to purchase resistance bands for each member of the staff. Natalie followed programming from LiveStrong to get her coworkers more active using a low impact introduction program to resistance bands. She also created spaces around the building that staff could use for shout outs and call outs that people noticed in one another. 

     As one of the largest air and ground emergency service providers in West Virginia, Healthnet Aeromedical has adopted programming and management buy in that empowers workers to live healthier and happier lives. 

     Work@Health certified staff Tracey Suppa-Todd and Chloe Castleman worked with the CEO of Healthnet Aeromedical to create a point system for staff who participated in their worker wellness program. Each participant was eligible for a $100 bonus for participating. 

     Each of their 19 bases also got a mindfulness station equipped with a group coloring sheet and tools to increase relaxation. 

      Locations were also given the choice of a punching bag, massage gun, or smoothie maker to add to their bases to help increase access to physical activity and nutrition resources. They are also working on current Policy changes to increase physical activity time during the work day.

     We were connected with Dr. Brian Leary through a partner who knew he was trying to expand his programming that partners WVU Exercise Physiology with the      Morgantown Fire Department. Dr. Leary along with Active SWV through capacity building funds, are creating a curriculum that will be sharable with other first responder and tactical athlete units across the state. 

     The students in Dr. Leary’s master program work on site with the Fire Fighters to increase physical activity, recovery, and everything demanding in between. 

     One of the biggest changes in programming from inception to delivery  was the information Dr. Leary took from the Work@Health program. Through the 8 virtual modules, Dr. Leary realized that his programming should follow closely with the wants and needs of his responders – and not be a one size fits all approach for everyone.

      With this change in approach, Dr. Leary and his students have been able to fine tune the programming for the staff, while also finding additional barriers and issues to successful programming that he may not have recognized before. 

     Bridgit Arnold with Region 1 Workforce Development has invested her personal time and effort into creating programming for her coworkers and her community. 

     She has a certification for personal training and a desire to share health information and initiatives with everyone around her. 

     At the office, Bridgit has used grant funding from Active SWV to create a dedicated space for physical activity. This room has weights, treadmills, and three new rowing machines from this grant cycle. With these new rowers, Bridgit and her coworkers at Region 1 can work out together during physical activity breaks. They can also host low impact rowing challenges the entire staff can participate in, creating community and fun through competition. 

     Bridgit has also hosted weekly after work walking sessions that are designed to include the entire community. As an Active SWV Community Captain, she has the power to create and schedule physical activity events for her community, with the support from the Active SWV Community Captain program. To find out more, click here!

     It can be difficult to reach a campus as large as West Virginia State University. 

     From the students, to the faculty and staff, there are uncountable departments and program areas. 

     With organizations this large, it is important to focus on creating wellness bubbles. These often start in a single department or school, and eventually spread across the campus. 

     Kellie Toledo, who has taken the reigns of her departments wellness program has hit the ground running. 

     She helped create a Wednesday walking group that would meet and walk regularly on lunch breaks, scheduled lunch and learn sessions to increase health awareness, and found ways to incorporate campus events into her wellness programming. 

     This included a push to have faculty and staff take advantage of free health screenings available at the annual health fair, traditionally held for students. 

     The programming also offered weekly yoga classes that were open to faculty, staff, and students, increasing their reach across the campus! 

     West Virginia has some of the closest knit communities that any state can offer. Grit, determination, partnership, and imagination drive the increase in physical activity, nutrition, and health that we see the Mountain State adopting. 

     Joe Webb, at the Southern Appalachia Labor School (SALS) embodies the spirit of West Virginia. 

     Joe has overlapped multiple program areas of Active SWV to create a space that truly embraces access and support to the surrounding communities. 

      As an Active Places member SALS partners with Community Captains to host free community physical activity events. These low impact and inclusive events are the perfect introduction to physical activity, or the best burn a seasoned athlete can experience along side their community!

Through the Workplace Wellness program, SALS has created a dedicated physical activity space that includes weights and machines that create an all inclusive gym space, for any fitness level. Joe has also worked with his board of directors and other staff to create policies allowing staff to recreate on the clock. This past grant cycle saw SALS increase the equipment in their employee/community gym space, create a mindfulness and relaxation space, and provide lunch and learn sessions for staff and volunteers!

Community health takes exactly that, community! When organizations can partner with the community surrounding them to share and expand resources, community health can begin to thrive!

Lisa Bogolin from Berkeley County Schools reached out to Active SWV with interest in capacity funding for a paved walking track on the school grounds. They were still on the process of finding other grants to assist in the construction fees, but had a robust and perfect plan to make this all come together!

All of the funding needed was achieved, and the track construction began with a completion date of Fall 2023. 

The track is open to use for the greater community around South Middle School. 

They also host two programs using the track to increase physical activity for both students and younger community members and staff or community members experiencing arthritis. Girls on the Run and Walk with Ease. 

To collect data on the use of the track, Active SWV created a scannable code that users can scan to track the tracks impact and use, and for users to leave feedback on the track and what they would like to see in the future!

     At the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF), one of the big gaps they found in surveying was water access and consumption!

     With funding, they purchased water bottles for everybody on staff. These bottles had markings to indicate how much water had been consumed throughout the day. 

     A weekly staff walking group was created and mapped out multiple walking routes outside around the office building to get fresh air and steps at the same time. 

     They also purchased apps to increase physical activity and mindfulness throughout the day. 

Staff member Almeda Tincher had this to say after starting her physical activity journey with her coworkers:

” My body and mind feel ten times better than before I started walking.  Since the initiative ended, I continue to walk four to five miles a day.  This was great for me. Thanks to everyone for supporting a healthier lifestyle for our team.”

     Walking to California from West Virginia sounds near impossible. Even as a team that could be a major challenge. 

     This didn’t stop the teams at Fayette or Nicholas county Health Departments. Work@Health member Katie Johnson inspired her coworkers with a mileage challenge and together they were able to get enough steps in to cross the country and then some! 

     Katie also incorporated an in depth lunch and learn initiative that included health education and a staff salad bar with healthy green options for all! They also used this as a staff bonding experience with everyone bringing in their favorite salad ingredients to share.

     Community health based organizations are the key to community health growth and sustainability. With this responsibility, providers often have minimal time to focus on their personal health goals. 

     The health and wellness team at Cabell Huntington, led by Casey Napier was able to create multiple initiatives across their organization to increase their own access to healthier options!

     They were able to create a policy to have a dedicated physical activity space on site with Active SWV funding assisting in equipment acquisition. 

     They also increase access to hydration by installing a filtered water station at their location which is available for staff, patients, and the greater community if they need. 

      Niterra sparkplugs, formerly NGK, is based in Nagoya, Japan. 

     One of their largest plants however sits in Sissonville, West Virginia. Other plants across the country include Michigan, Illinois, and California. 

     Candi Hill and Becky Oxley are the two full time, on site, RN’s. Not only do they schedule and coordinate health and wellness screenings for their staff, but they also coordinate the Workplace Wellness programming for their entire organization, across the United States. 

     Through their programming they have seen a 44% increase in health related activities. This is trackable due to the incorporation of the Workplace Wellness program at a corporate level. 

     Niterra Sissonville created a policy around their weight loss challenge, with company supports cash prizes up to $500. Their Workplace Wellness programming, branding, and initiatives were also incorporated into corporate branding, the company website and news letter, and the app Niterra had developed for company use. 

     This app was able to share health information and events, lunch and learn topics and links, and weekly quizzes that helped educate workers about physical activity, nutrition, and benefits that Niterra provides related to health. 

     With the success of programming and participation at Niterra Sissonville, Candi and Becky toured each of the plants across the country to help survey and implement Workplace Wellness at all of their locations across the country. Using West Virginia as an example in creating healthier workplaces!