Platinum Award/Large Business Category

With more than 7,000 employees, Lancaster General Health is the largest employer in Lancaster County.  Including employees’ spouses, LG Health’s  wellness program Ω MyHealthyLiving Ω encompasses more than  11,000 individuals. The comprehensive program involves personnel in every department throughout the health system, including service and maintenance staff, office and  IT workers, nurses, doctors and other healthcare providers.

LG Health was at the forefront of the workplace wellness movement when it launched a program in 1992.  “People who work in healthcare are so committed to being good caregivers that sometimes they put other people’s health needs ahead of their own,” says Alice Yoder, LG Health’s Director of Community Health. “We started our workplace wellness program to encourage employees to focus on their health, too.  It only made sense that we heed our mission statement – ‘To advance the health and well-being of the communities we serve’ – and take care of our own.”

The Unique Factor: Lancaster General Health not only operates its own Well Workplace program, MyHealthyLiving, but it also helps companies throughout Lancaster County establish programs of their own. LG Health also facilitates screenings and other services for companies with Well Workplace programs.

Because employees work at sites located across Lancaster County, communication might qualify as the most challenging aspect of the MyHealthyLiving program. “We are faced with dealing with multiple shifts, multiple locations and multiple levels of employees,” notes Alice. “It is important for our program to be convenient, easy to understand and accessible to employees who are healthy as well as those with medical conditions.”

The MyHealthyLiving Team plans, develops and implements the program’s activities. In addition, 190 Champions, who help to promote the program and address questions and suggestions, can be found in all departments. Employees can also access the MyHealthLiving webpage and learn about upcoming events, seminars, classes, etc.

LG Health’s program, which is voluntary, is incentive-based. The first step involves undergoing a health screening and completing the online health risk assessment. After employees complete those steps, they earn cash rewards  and become eligible to continue earning “MyHealthyLiving Reward$” throughout the year. The results of the screening are posted to employees’ MyLGHealth online accounts, which can be accessed directly by the participants and shared with their primary care providers.

Alice views the health assessment as another key to maintaining optimal health in the future. The assessment could be part of employees’ healthcare records, providing them with the opportunity to discuss results and set goals with their personal physicians.  “These partnerships are the wave of the future,” she says.  “It will eliminate the duplication of services and improve quality of care.”

In addition to completing the screenings and health risk assessment, all employees and spouses can enroll in one-on-one coaching. According to Brynn Kline, Manager of Corporate Health, “Health coaching can be conducted in person or over the phone.  Our health coaches work with employees to create realistic goals and action plans as they work through challenges and celebrate their successes.”

Quarterly programming is offered to keep employees engaged and may include seminars, online modules and challenges that address priorities such as physical activity, nutrition, and stress and time management. Cooking demonstrations are also offered that touch on such topics as revamping recipes and healthier prep techniques. “We want people to learn and practice new skills,” notes Brynn. “We design our programs according to the feedback we receive. Keeping it fresh and innovative can be a challenge but is also a priority.”

Quarterly challenges not only keep employees engaged, but they also build camaraderie. Goal-oriented programs, such as Lose it at Work and Send Stress Packing (aimed to practice stress management techniques), have proven to be very popular with employees.

The employee fitness center at the hospital location is open 24/7. Free fitness classes are held at multiple locations. “We’re offering Zumba for the first time, and the classes filled immediately,” Brynn reports. Walking and running clubs exist and the buildings on the health campus are mapped out for walking. Alice notes that “walking meetings” have become popular with LGH personnel.

LG Health is unique in that it has on-site dining areas at its hospitals and at several outpatient locations.  Healthy eating has become their mantra. “We’re working closely with food services to create healthy environments,” says Brynn. Together they have formulated a FIT criteria that addresses concerns such as fat, sodium and caloric levels. If an item exhibits a FIT label, it’s good for the diet.

Healthy choices are also more readily available at checkout and healthy options are available in vending machines and cafeterias. “Our ultimate goal is to make the healthy choice the easy choice,” Brynn points out.
Smoking, of course, has been prohibited on LG Health properties for years. And, the no-smoking ban has been taken to the next level: “We do not hire tobacco users,” Alice states. The policy, which supports community goals, has had positive results.  In 2000, 23% of adults in Lancaster County used tobacco products. Today, that number is down to 13%, which is lower than the state’s average.

The program’s statistics speak for themselves. The Health Risk Assessment data evaluates 13 risk factors and during the 2013-14 period, overall improvements were seen in 10 of those categories.  Rates of absenteeism and presenteeism (when employees report for work but are not well) have also improved. With these improvements, the program estimated cost saving by reducing health risks was $302 per participant.  That translates to more than $1.2 million.

The program’s plans include placing a stronger focus on mental well-being and access. “The stigma needs to be overcome,” says Alice. “Poor mental health is a predictor of physical health.  There’s a greater acceptance of that connection.”

Both Alice and Brynn maintain that programs such as MyHealthyLiving can only be successful with support from leadership. “We’re very fortunate. Our President and CEO Thomas E. Beeman, and our Executive Vice President and COO Jan Bergen are very committed and engaged,” Alice points out.  Indeed, Tom Beeman shared in the Fall 2014 employee newsletter, The Experience, that his own health screening pointed to some problematic areas and given the choice between taking medication or making lifestyle changes, he chose the latter. And, he says the regimen he chose made him feel better about his own health, as well as the health of the program.

Platinum Award/Small Business category

The Gap-based company, which was founded in 1985, designs, manufactures and constructs wastewater treatment plants. The precast concrete elements are manufactured in Gap and are then transported to the site, where they are installed by the company’s employees. While much of Dutchland’s work entails locations in Pennsylvania, clients are located throughout the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

The Unique Factor: Dutchland employs 160, 13 of which are women.

According to Amy Jaros, who chairs Dutchland’s Well Workplace program, Concrete Strong, rising insurance costs prompted the company to explore its options in 2010. Murray Insurance offered the company the opportunity to become a member of a self-insured consortium. “Part of the program was forming a Wellness Committee,” she explains. The company recruited a representative from each of its departments to serve on the committee and set up a budget.

Sylvia Kauffman, who co-heads Concrete Strong, recalls the committee formulating a wealth of ideas, which became the basis for a survey. The results indicated that an on-site gym was tops on employees’ wish lists. So, the company took underused space and transformed it into a gym that is equipped with treadmills, weights, full-body workout machines and other items. Two shower rooms were also installed. “It’s open from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. and gets a fair amount of use by both the office staff and the precast guys,” reports Amy. Employees can also take advantage of the mile-long walking path that meanders around the property.

Dietary issues were also addressed early on. Dutchland’s construction workers are on the road each week and depending upon their assignments, they may spend the work week at hotels (or rent apartments for long-term assignments) and head home for the weekend. Construction workers have notoriously bad eating habits, often relying on fast food for lunch and snacks. And, those habits are compounded if dinner must be eaten on the road, as well.

In an effort to remedy the situation, the Wellness Committee devised a program that educates such employees about healthy-eating options. The committee introduced them to dishes that could be prepared at home and packed in coolers, thus providing workers with nutritious food while they’re on the road. Those living in apartments have the luxury of being able to stock refrigerators and cook meals using healthy ingredients.

For those who prefer the fast-food route, the committee provided the Stop & Go directory that contains a listing of chain restaurants and their healthiness factor: green for go, yellow for maybe and red for pass on by.

Those same employees are on-site in Gap for full-day quarterly meetings. Amy notes that the lunch menu formerly consisted of pizza, chips, soda and cookies. That is no longer the case, and she reports that it came at the request of the employees. Subsequently, vending machines are offering more healthy options, salads and yogurts.

Kitchen areas have bulletin boards that are hung with Well Workplace information: incentive quotes, workout ideas, safety information and recipes. Employees also launched a gardening program. Raised-bed gardens yield items such as tomatoes, peppers and basil; employees are welcome to help themselves to the bounty. The ingredients are also used to prepare company-provided snacks.

Contests are also popular with Dutchland employees. One invited employees to prepare and bring in healthy snacks, the winner of which would receive a subscription to Clean Eating magazine. “That was really fun,” Amy says, adding that the winning Texas Caviar was exclusively served on the next Snack Day. Another contest challenged employees to walk 10,000 steps in a day’s time. Maintain Don’t Gain was geared to the holidays. The Biggest Winner saw departments compete against each other to collectively lose the most amount of weight. “This spring, a company-designed ‘Tough Mudder’ is our goal,” Amy says.

Dutchland employees also band together to participate in 5Ks and benefit walks. They’ve also bonded during rock-climbing adventures and through paintball outings.

Monetary incentives are also offered. Employees who are non-smokers, undergo yearly physicals and complete online health assessments can claim $50 rewards.

Dutchland has also extended its wellness services beyond the obvious. An on-site Health Fair has grown to include 14 vendors. Seminars provide coaching on such topics as stress management, fiscal responsibility, family matters, etc. “What’s going on at home affects job performance,” Amy points out. “If we see a need, we try to meet it. Integrating the whole well-being is important. Mental health is a hot topic right now, and we plan to address that, too.”

Dutchland is proud of the progress it’s made over the course of four years. “We did a lot in a short amount of time,” says Amy. She remembers the first time LGH arrived to conduct biometric testing. One employee emerged and was obviously upset. “His numbers were not good,” says Amy. “It was his wake-up call.” Another employee made lifestyle changes, which resulted in a 60-pound weight loss.  “A lot of men and women have lost substantial amounts of weight,” she adds.

As for Dutchland, it has gained some hardware. In addition to Well Workplace awards (silver in 2013, platinum in 2014), the company was the winner of the American Heart Association’s Fitness Award. Their goal for 2015 is the nationally recognized Welcoa Award.

Gold Award/Large Business Category

According to penn manor’s wellness coordinator, Dr. Dawn Janssen, the district had a wellness program in the past but was forced to discontinue it due to budget constraints. Then, in 2009, Cindy Rhoades, who was the district’s community relations coordinator at the time, came to Dawn and asked if she would be interested in helping her start a support group for people who wanted to make some changes in their lives.

This small, voluntary group laid the foundation for the Make One Change concept that has now grown into a district-wide theme.  Over the last few years, the district’s leadership revisited the need for wellness and a wellness coordinator, hoping it could serve as a way to cut health-insurance costs. Dawn, who is a health and physical education specialist in the district, was asked to serve as the proposed program’s coordinator. “It’s something I’m passionate about,” she explains of her willingness to take responsibility for the program.

The Unique Factor: The Penn Manor School District has 800 employees whose jobs span cafeterias, property maintenance, classrooms and offices in 11 buildings.

Being on the job is critical in a schoolroom setting. Yes, substitutes can take over in the case of illness, but in most cases, the rhythm of learning is disrupted. “And, we want to be good role models for our students,” Dawn says.
The first task was to form a Wellness Committee; members were recruited from each of the 11 buildings. The committee devised the theme, Make A Change (MAC), as the district’s rallying cry for the 2012 and 2013 school years. In 2014, the emphasis was placed on mental health. Working in a school setting does offer advantages. The campuses are tobacco free. Fitness is as close as the gym. Healthy food is available in the cafeteria. And, of course, professional guidance abounds.

But, as biometric testing proved, access doesn’t equate to robust health. Thus, the first day of school at Penn Manor is now observed as Wellness Day. And, the programs Penn Manor has instituted are changing people’s lives, perhaps even saving them.

Consider Sharon Knighton, who works in the business office. She’s lost more than 100 pounds over the course of the last 18 months.  Being overweight was a family trait. Her father, who weighed more than 500 pounds, had multiple health-related problems. He feared Sharon was headed in the same direction. “I overheard him telling my mom that if I didn’t do something about my weight, I would end up like him,” Sharon explains.  A year later, her 66-year-old father was gone.

Sharon says her father’s death was her wake-up call. Already having knee issues, she turned to Dawn, who devised an exercise program Sharon could follow. Next, Sharon adopted healthy-eating habits.  Now, she professes to feeling “different in all kinds of ways. I grab life. I’m doing things I never dreamed of doing.” That extends to running 5Ks and purging her closet of clothing that no longer fits. “I had every size,” she notes. “Getting rid of the large sizes was hard,” she says of the psychological security blanket she was parting with.

John Matusek, a fourth-grade teacher, credits MAC for numerous changes in his life. He remembers Penn Manor’s first foray into healthy initiatives. The emphasis was on physical activity, but at 5’5” and 208 pounds, hiking and kayaking were too challenging. Adding to his poor physical condition was the fact he had smoked for “many, many years.”

By 2010, his habit had grown to 2-1/2 packs a day! On Feb. 14, 2010, he said, “Enough!” The day held significance. “I did it for my heart,” he explains. “And, for my godson. I didn’t want him to remember me as being a smoker.” To compensate, John became a baker, explaining two hands are needed to create delicacies. “Oh, the pies he makes!” says Dawn.

John also got serious about correcting his “terrible eating habits.” Fast food was the mainstay of his diet. With MAC’s help, he was able to wean himself off his favorite, high-fat, high-calorie breakfast sandwich. He learned how to make healthier choices at such restaurants and began to cook simple, healthy meals at home. As a result, he lost 40 pounds in a year’s time. Dosages for high blood pressure and cholesterol medications were cut in half.

Molly Miller, who is a technology/engineering teacher, had undergone routine blood testing in April 2010. Now, it was August, and the opening day of school meant Wellness Day was being observed. She decided to undergo the free screenings that were being offered. Twelve hours later, she received a phone call instructing her to see her doctor ASAP.

Molly was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). A low platelet count affects clotting, which is not good for someone who works around saws and other sharp tools. She had no idea anything was wrong. “I bruise easily, and I’m a bleeder anyway,” she explains of dismissing ITP’s indicators. Despite being among the less than 1% of the population afflicted with ITP, Molly has been assured that with added vigilance, it won’t affect her career. “It’s something I can live with and lead a normal life,” she reports.

In 2010, Mary Barnett, who is a physical education teacher, remembers being told the “Boobie Bus” was coming to campus to conduct mammograms for staff members. Because of her age (50 at the time), she admits she had totally ignored that aspect of her health. The screening detected a problem and the next day, she saw her OBGYN, who discovered a lump. Another mammogram followed, as did an ultrasound. A biopsy was next on the agenda. “I thought, ‘This can’t be good,’” she recalls.

Fortunately, Mary’s breast cancer was detected early. She underwent a lumpectomy, which was followed by radiation. “It was handled so quickly that I don’t feel like I’m a cancer survivor,” she says. “However, now I’m very proactive.” That extends to educating others. Her son is a member of Frostburg’s lacrosse team, which hosts a tournament each October. Mary approached the coach about incorporating breast-cancer awareness into the tourney. He agreed and Mary launched the awareness program by purchasing pink laces for the team’s players. The program has grown to include pink T-shirts and crowd participation. Despite the fact that Mary’s son graduates this year, the coach hopes to continue the awareness program at future tourneys.

Dawn says these are only four of Penn Manor’s success stories. “I am aware of others who have quit drinking soda, started exercise programs or began using stress-management techniques,” she says. She also points to statistics. As a result of skin-cancer screenings conducted in August 2014, half of the participants were advised to follow up with their physicians (including Mary, who had a mole on her foot that registered suspicious cells). One-quarter of those screened for cholesterol were borderline high, while two individuals were high. During blood-pressure screenings, three people were found to have hypertension, and an additional nine were deemed to have pre-hypertension. “Thanks to testing, our employees are receiving the valuable health data they need to become success stories,” says Dawn.

Dawn credits the administration for Penn Manor’s success stories. “They’re behind our wellness program for the right reasons,” she notes. “Just the other day, the superintendent said to me, ‘This isn’t about the money anymore. It’s about saving lives.’”