Can you describe The Good Life?
Brailsford: Like other health-conscious employers, MemorialCare implemented a comprehensive wellness and prevention program for employees and their families. Called The Good Life, it’s at the heart of our efforts to build a culture of excellence that encourages employees to make healthier daily choices. Our initial focus was on helping to reduce, prevent and manage the most prevalent conditions affecting our employees — high cholesterol and hypertension.
Manker: Our workplace offers walking trails, employee gyms and nutritious, low-calorie cafeteria foods. We serve healthy snacks at events, sponsor wellness fairs, offer online newsletters and tracking tools and also have nonsmoking campuses. Employees can attend yoga classes and join community events like American Heart Association Heart Walk and March of Dimes March for Babies that raise funds for charities while providing healthy exercise.
What’s the impact of these programs?
Brailsford: Our data suggests a mere 2 percent movement from chronic to improved health can save MemorialCare more than $600,000 annually. Good health is central to everyone’s quality of life — at work, home and play. Changing our habits is challenging. But when it comes to managing and preventing chronic conditions, even small changes dramatically affect quality of life. We know a healthy workplace is the foundation for good business.
Where can an employer start?
Manker: Employers should begin with an employee wellness committee to plan their initiatives with guidance from local health professionals. Start with simple screenings to make employees aware of their blood pressure, cholesterol numbers, weight, nutritional habits, smoking and fitness levels. Get your work force walking during meals and breaks. Offer sessions that share advice, activities and coaching to reach and maintain goals. Identify employee advocates to motivate others to follow their lead. Engage the employee’s family to extend healthy habits at home. And partner with every community resource available — from hospitals and public health departments to organizations like the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Lung Association.
Brailsford: Leadership involvement is critical in creating a culture that promotes good health. When leaders demonstrate their participation and committment to wellness, it creates ‘permission’ among employees to join the conversation and build health and wellness behaviors, like activity, into their daily work life. Organizations should celebrate the employees who take advantage of the programs and demonstrate positive lifestyle changes and health benefits. The proof is in the testimonies of employees who seized the opportunity and lost weight, reduced their cholesterol and blood sugar and increased their productivity.
TAMMIE BRAILSFORD is Chief Operating Officer of MemorialCare Health System in Orange and Los Angeles counties. MARCIA MANKER is Chief Executive Officer of Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley. The not-for-profit MemorialCare Health System includes Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente. For additional information on excellence in health care, please visit memorialcare.org.
